'I played under Jurgen Klopp but it took me years to realise something about him'

Former Borussia Dortmund midfielder Mario Gotze has admitted he should have stayed with Jurgen Klopp for much longer at the German club - insisting there is no coach like him in football.

Gotze had the world at his feet as a youngster after emerging as one of the game's brightest talents at Dortmund before securing a £30million switch to Bayern Munich in 2013. He later scored the winning goal for Germany in the 2014 World Cup final.

However, despite a bright first two seasons for Bayern, he eventually became surplus to requirements and returned to Dortmund in 2016 - though he never managed to recapture his old form that won him so many admirers.

He spent four seasons back at Signal Iduna Park before a stint with PSV Eindhoven and then joined his current employers Eintracht Frankfurt and Gotze has now expressed regret over the decisions he made in his career.

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Now 32, Gotze heaped praise on former Liverpool boss Klopp for the impact he had on his career at Dortmund and said he wished he remained under his leadership for longer.

"I couldn't put into perspective how lucky I was to work with Jurgen Klopp," he told German outlet Zeit Online. "He was the first coach in my professional career. And I thought: All coaches are like Jurgen. After a few years I had to realise: That is definitely not the case. No one else is like that.

"He coached me as a player and as a young person. He has a special feeling for the club. A feeling for everything that is important to be successful. But for me that was completely normal, I didn't think it was anything special. I didn't know any better, I had no other experience.

"In hindsight, I should have stayed with him longer. It would have been better for me if I had continued the journey he started with me when I was 17 or 18 years old with him for a few more years. Then I would have been able to appreciate everything I got from him more."

Gotze said he was "stubborn" in his career and "gave too much importance to the negative things" that happened to him in his career and looked back on resenting Klopp for not letting him play after returning from an injury - but stressed he was a "special coach".

"When I was injured for a few months, Jurgen didn't let me play when I was fit again," he added. "I didn't like that. Of course I wanted to play, I always wanted to play. Why does he do that? I struggled. If you ever get a special coach like Jurgen, then take full advantage of the positive aspects."

Gotze has played 87 games in total for Frankfurt, scoring seven times. This season he has started three of the team's four Bundesliga games - providing one assist in a 3-1 win over Hoffenheim last month.

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