Rafa Benitez has suggested he has inside knowledge of what prompted Jurgen Klopp's shock decision to step down at the end of the season.
The Liverpool manager stunned the world of football on Friday, when he announced he will leave Anfield in May after nine seasons, despite having two years left on his deal.
Citing the fact he was 'running out of energy', the German hinted he may never manage in football ever again.
While Klopp's admission of burnout mirrors when he left his previous club Borussia Dortmund after seven years, news of his impending departure was a bolt out of the blue.
Liverpool are in the hunt for four trophies this season and the German successfully overhauled his squad in the summer, reshaping his midfield and blooding young talent into the team.
But Benitez, who won the Champions League and FA Cup in six seasons in charge of Liverpool, insisted Klopp's departure was not surprising to him.
'I have an advantage, which is that I have people in Liverpool and also people at the club.
'So more or less, I know how it has happened. I know something else from inside, and it has more merit than being there.
'He [Klopp] goes and speaks up, giving the club time to re-organise, which, from another perspective, is also very German, because they do notify in advance.
'So it is not a shock.'
Klopp has won the Premier League, Champions League, the FA Cup and Carabao Cup over nine hugely successful years at Anfield and Benitez was full of praise for his record.
'I only have positive words about Klopp, because he is my friend and I have a good relationship with him,' he said.
'He has done and is doing an enormous job. Everything I can say about Klopp and Liverpool is positive.
In a video message Liverpool released on Friday, Klopp
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