Jurgen Klopp has announced that he will stand down as Liverpool manager at the end of the season. 

The German, 56, informed the club of his decision in November but Liverpool’s players were only told shortly before shock the announcement on Friday morning. 

In a statement, Klopp said that he is “running out of energy” and hinted at retirement while ruling out the prospect of managing in England again.

“You have to be the best version of yourself – it means so much to so many people,” Klopp said at a press conference on Friday afternoon. “I cannot do this job on three wheels. It takes all of you and needs all of you.”

Klopp ruled out the prospect of advising Liverpool about his successor, saying: “It looks like I do all the work, but I don’t. I can’t and I don’t. Over the last years we have built an incredibly strong structure behind the scenes, which means I can leave and the club will still continue to go in the right direction.

“The last thing they need is advice from the old man walking out and I absolutely will not do that.”

Klopp also dismissed suggestions he could change his mind and said he would never manage another English club even if he had “nothing to eat”.

Liverpool chief executive Billy Hogan said: “The way we operate as a football club is to look at all the information, the data and with due diligence and then make our decision. I can’t put a time on it. It will happen behind the scenes. It’s not to be a distraction…it’s about the campaign continuing and the team continuing to perform.

“When we have something to say, we will have something to say at that point.”

Klopp’s assistants Pepijn Lijnders and Peter Krawietz, as well as elite development coach Vitor Matos, will also leave while sporting director Jorg Schmadtke will depart at the end of the January transfer window.

Klopp announces he is stepping down with bombshell statement: As it happened