Jurgen Klopp: Liverpool boss convinced next season would have been 'tricky' had he remained in charge

Jurgen Klopp is certain he has made the right call to end his nine-year spell at Liverpool before succumbing to fatigue, believing the club would have suffered next season.

The 56-year-old heads into his penultimate game at Anfield as Liverpool manager when Tottenham are the visitors on Super Sunday.

There are just three more games remaining in his reign, and yet that reality doesn't seem to have bitten him yet.

"I didn't really think about it," Klopp exclusively tells Sky Sports. "I've never really seen it as a goodbye as I cannot think every day about my own situation.

"We've had a day this week when our foundation was at the training ground and there were families and kids which are moments I've always liked.

"I met a boy who I first saw five years ago when he had cancer and now he's there with his head full of red curls. It's wonderful to see. It was a moment when I realised [leaving] will be tough."

Klopp has understood what it means to be manager of Liverpool Football Club, and to be a manager in Liverpool.

The German understands Liverpool implicitly, and in his exit announcement talked about how much receiving the freedom of the city meant to him.

When he departs later this month, he will feel satisfied with the foundations he has put in place, constructing a second great Liverpool side.

While there has not been the fairy-tale ending of a second Premier League title - or further European glory - his legacy is already assured.

The grind of those fixture commitments, the incessant demand to carry the weight of all those hopes and dreams, meant he left out of necessity.

When asked if his decision to leave was made alongside his wife Ulla Sandrock, Klopp said: "The initial decision was not a joint decision. It was my decision in