Jurgen Klopp makes Sir Alex Ferguson feelings clear as he names four best managers ever

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Former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has named Sir Alex Ferguson and Pep Guardiola as members of his coaching Mount Rushmore but snubbed figures such as Jose Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti.

The German coach left his own name out of the selection as he pondered the difficult task of narrowing down football's greatest ever bosses to just four people. The 58-year-old could not help but offer his greatest rival a place at the grandest table as he mulled his choices, however.

Klopp, now Global Head of Soccer at Red Bull , finished his coaching career with a winning record over Guardiola but could not transform that success into beating the Catalan coach to a Premier League title more than once. The ex-Reds boss has previously said that Guardiola's understanding of football is second to none, and that he is an inspiration .

The Manchester City boss was not the only Barcelona icon to make the list, however. Klopp paid tribute to Johan Cruyff's impact on the game by naming him first.

"This is my Mount Rushmore of football coaches and actually four is really difficult to do, but I try anyway," Klopp started. "Johan Cruyff, [the] most influential football coach I have ever heard of. The way he saw football, the way he understood football, is just second to none.

"Pep Guardiola, you could say exactly the same about him, and I faced him and know how difficult it was."

Manchester United and Premier League legend Ferguson was next to be named. Klopp cited admiration of his success but also reflected upon his relationship with the Scottish manager who won 13 titles in his time at Old Trafford.

"Now it gets really tricky," Klopp continued. "Let's go to the most successful [manager of all time] and a guy I really like as well, Sir Alex Ferguson ."

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Klopp had a number of candidates in mind for the final spot on his footballing monument and could not ignore Liverpool on this occasion. Bill Shankly beat off competition from fellow Reds icon Bob Paisley.

Shankly won three league titles, two FA Cups and a European trophy in a 15-year spell that set the platform for his assistant Paisly to become Liverpool's most successful manager with six league wins and three European Cups.

"And now I barely can decide," Klopp said. "Carlo Ancelotti is in my mind, obviously. Bill Shankly, Bob Paisley, I heard so much about them, never saw them.

"But yes, I want to see Bill Shankly on the Mount Rushmore. That's it."

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