Klopp names Liverpool flop Voronin as former player he'd like second chance with

Jurgen Klopp would have relished the chance to unleash Andriy Voronin's "amazing" full potential with a second spell coaching his former player.

Klopp worked with Voronin for just over two seasons after he was appointed Mainz boss in 2001, his first managerial role.

The Ukrainian attacker was in and out of the starting XI during Klopp's first full campaign in charge but shone during the 2002/03 term, scoring 20 goals to finish as the top scorer in 2. Bundesliga, the German second tier.

Voronin subsequently made the step up to the Bundesliga and his winding career took him to Liverpool on a free transfer in 2007, but he managed just six goals in 40 appearances before joining Dynamo Moscow in 2010.

Andriy Voronin scored just five goals in 27 Premier League appearances for Liverpool ( Image:

Bongarts/Getty Images)

The 42-year-old, now assistant manager of the Russian club, is regarded as a flop in the eyes of Reds fans after his underwhelming three-year stint at Anfield.

But Klopp insists Voronin had bagfuls of talent and suggested he was simply let down by his mentality.

Asked which player he worked with at Mainz he would sign if they were starting out their career again, Klopp told the club's YouTube channel : "Andriy Voronin. If Andriy had known just one day in his life how good he could have been, it would have been absolutely amazing.

"Andriy was an incredible player, an incredible talent.

"Actually, I was a little unfair. In my first year as coach, I think my first full season as coach especially, I would always only sub him on. And then Andriy came to my room during the training camp and asked, 'Kloppo, why do I never start?'

"I said, 'Do you want the honest answer?' He said, 'Yes.' So I said, 'Because you don't complain when you don't start!'

"He replied, 'Fair enough!' And he carried on not starting."

Jurgen Klopp spent over seven years managing Mainz ( Image:

Bongarts)

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Voronin opened up on his struggles at Liverpool earlier this year, admitting he was unable to understand skipper Steven Gerrard and vice-captain Jamie Carragher due to their accents.

Asked about his memories from Merseyside, he told Goal and SPOX : "Scouse. I understood almost nothing, my English wasn't good anyway. When Carragher and Gerrard talked, I asked them to repeat it in English.

"Liverpool didn't suit me as a city overall, even though it has a lot of history to offer, such as the Beatles. My father is a big fan of the band.

"When I told him I had signed with Liverpool, he started crying. I also couldn't cope with the weather and the rhythm of the games without a winter break. I was just traveling and playing, which was very exhausting."