Boss: We want to give back on these trips
Liverpool's pre-season tour of the United States is an opportunity to give something back to the fans who support the club from afar, according to Jürgen Klopp.
The Reds landed in Charlotte, North Carolina on Saturday morning to begin an eight-day stay in America which will involve participation in the International Champions Cup.
Klopp’s current side face his former team in the first of three fixtures in the tournament, with the Bank of America Stadium the venue for the meeting with Borussia Dortmund tomorrow.
As well as the chance for the players to prepare for the new campaign in warm conditions, the visit to the USA affords supporters in the region a rare glimpse of their heroes.
“We have that problem in a lot of places around the world, to be honest,” the boss said at a press conference in the city on Saturday.
“We were in Australia after [the 2016-17] season and it felt like the whole country was waiting for us, it was quite a trip for us to go there but we went there to play a game. I think we flew longer than we stayed in Australia!
“It’s not that easy but we are really happy that from time to time we can come to different places in the world and show up and give them all a little bit back for all the things they invest.
“I read a little bit about the supporters club here in Charlotte – how they meet and how it started. I like these stories. I can imagine that this club, if you see it once and are open for a new experience, it can easily happen that you are addicted to it.
“The atmosphere around the club is really special; it’s a worldwide brand but it’s a family as well. That’s quite rare. I’m really happy we can be here and give all these people a little bit back.
“That’s why it was so important to us that we had, for example, Mo Salah and Sadio Mane here – I’m sure people want to see them. They will not see them tomorrow on the pitch playing but we’ll try everything so we can sign a few shirts and make a few pictures, so we can be as close as possible to the people. That’s really cool.
“It will probably not replace the experience to be one time at Anfield. I hope they have that chance one time in their life because it’s a special place. I knew about it before I came in, now I’ve felt it a lot of times and it’s really special.
“We cannot change that; we cannot bring 300,000 or 400,000 people into the stadium. Especially in a game against [Manchester] United we could sell out even that number, that’s good for the club and we feel responsible for that. Hopefully we can fulfil the role.”