Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan has reiterated that he remains grateful for the impact that Jurgen Klopp has had on his career.
Gundogan and Klopp worked with each other during their time at Borussia Dortmund, before the pair eventually ended up in the Premier League with City and Liverpool respectively.
The two clubs will square off in the Champions League quarter-finals, starting with Wednesday's first leg at Anfield, and Gundogan has spoken highly of his four-year stint with Klopp.
The 27-year-old told City's official website: "I had four fantastic years with Jurgen. We won a lot of things together, we lived through many different experiences together, we had our lows, too.
"I came to Dortmund from a relatively small team and I struggled during my first six months to find my place there. I was a bit shy and, to be honest, I wasn't brave enough do certain things, but thanks to the help of my teammates, and with the help of Jurgen and his staff, too, I managed to improve.
"I was finally able to find my way and my place. It was hard, but I learned a lot and I tried to assimilate everything at that point. Jurgen played a very important role in all that and I'm very grateful to have played in that team at such a high level for so many years. I learned a lot and I managed to improve my game a lot, too."
Gundogan has overcome a serious knee injury to make 39 appearances for City in all competitions this season.
Darren Plant
