I was Jurgen Klopp's first Liverpool signing but the move didn't work out for one big reason

Former Liverpool star Marko Grujic has explained how Jurgen Klopp helped him settle into life at Anfield.

Grujic was Klopp's first signing as Liverpool manager in January 2016 after arriving in a £5.1 million deal from Red Star Belgrade. Klopp had only been appointed as Reds boss three months earlier and identified Grujic as his first new addition to the squad.

However, despite the midfielder arriving with plenty of promise, Grujic only managed to make 16 first-team appearances for Liverpool following his official arrival in the summer of 2016. He enjoyed loan spells at Hertha Berlin, Cardiff City and Porto before subsequently completing a £10.5 million permanent move to the Portuguese club in the summer of 2021.

Despite not making a long-term impact in the Liverpool team, Grujic has fond memories of working with Klopp during his early days at Anfield. The midfielder, who has made just 20 appearances for Porto this season, has also explained he believes his career at Liverpool did not work out as his move 'came too early' for him.

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"Going to such a huge club probably came too early for me, but I learned so much from Jurgen," Grujic told The Athletic. "The most difficult thing was the high press — so much sprinting and changing direction.

"It became the most famous thing about the team. It became the biggest weapon but so many hours on the training field went into getting that right.

"Buvac would take a lot of the technical drills and he was a big help to me as he spoke my language, but Jurgen was such a good coach and also a nice guy. He would make everyone laugh with jokes and always had time for everyone — whether it was the ladies in the canteen or the kit guys."