Max Verstappen responds to Jurgen Klopp's new job as pair link up at Red Bull

F1 star Max Verstappen has responded to Liverpool legend Jurgen Klopp joining the Red Bull group. Klopp has recently been announced as the new head of global soccer for Red Bull , a position that he will start at the beginning of 2025.

"I knew already for quite a long time that they were talking and it was close to being signed ," Verstappen told Sky Sports . "I think it's great. Red Bull is investing a lot also in football with the teams they have and there is a lot of talent that has come through already.

"With someone like Jurgen in charge from the top, he has a lot of experience, and he has managed a lot of great clubs. It's great for the whole organization ."

"A few months ago, I said I don't see myself on the sidelines anymore, and that is still the case," Klopp said on Instagram when the Red Bull move was confirmed . "But I still love football, I still love working, and Red Bull gives me the perfect platform for that."

The German has been criticized in some quarters for taking the job, however. The multi-club model has been something he has spoken out against in the past, and Klopp's former side Borussia Dortmund is just one of those to be critical of RB Leipzig, who has circumvented certain Bundesliga rules and caused a few controversies.

"People have talked about him ruining his legacy," German football expert Seb Stafford-Bloor told the BBC when the move was announced earlier in the month. "As some people have said, he sort of reframed who he is in relation to the club in terms of what he means to people.

"For Klopp, who for so long was a symbol of [football authenticity], he had kind of an unvarnished appeal. He was very much in step with fan sentiments when he first moved to Dortmund. For instance, he was proactive in meeting with supporters and talking to them about what was important for their club.

"So, for him to cross that divide and move to the other side of the table, so to speak, is very jarring. Klopp is this transcendent personality who everybody has a little bit of grasp on, who everybody feels is sort of the acceptable face of football, whereas Leipzig are very much the dark heart and that goes to the Red Bull network as a whole."

Liverpool.com says: Klopp is a huge coup for Red Bull but it remains to be seen exactly what the position will mean. How much of an influence will he have? Will he be more of an advisor than someone working day-to-day in a public-facing role? Liverpool fans will be sure to keep an eye out.