Jurgen Klopp convinced Nuri Sahin to leave Liverpool and return to Borussia Dortmund
Sahin reveled he had planned to stay for "many more years" at Liverpool.
Borussia Dortmund's Nuri Sahin has revealed his former manager Jurgen Klopp's desire to re-sign him convinced the midfielder to leave Liverpool and return to Signal Iduna Park in 2013.
The 29-year-old, who joined the Bundesliga outfit in 2005 impressed the German club in the 2010/11 season. His form saw him attract interest from top clubs across Europe and Real Madrid won the race for his signature.
Sahin signed a six-year deal at the Spanish capital club, but struggled to impress during his time there. A poor form in his debut season saw him join Liverpool on a season-long loan deal in the summer of 2012.
The Turkish international had planned on staying at Anfield for "many more years" but, Klopp's intervention convinced him to end his loan deal with Liverpool in six months and rejoin Dortmund in January 2013 on loan. A year-and-a-half later, the Signal Iduna Park re-signed him on a permanent transfer.
"At Liverpool, I started the season very well but once I had an offer from Dortmund in the middle of the season, I just couldn't resist the prospect of working with Jurgen Klopp again, so I decided to leave," Sahin explained, as quoted by the Liverpool Echo.
"If Dortmund didn't make an offer for me, then I would have stayed at Liverpool for many more years. But the idea of working again with Jurgen Klopp and competing in the Champions League was very tempting."
Sahin is still at Dortmund while Klopp is currently managing Liverpool, having taken charge at Anfield in October 2015. Had he decided to continue with the Reds, he could have had an opportunity to play under the German manager in the Premier League.
Karius wants to become first choice keeper at Liverpool
Meanwhile, Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius has stressed that he is ready to prove his worth in becoming Klopp's first choice stopper. The German international was given a rare start in the Reds' 4-3 victory over Manchester City, ahead of Simon Mignolet.
"Now you are back in goal you have to prove yourself and show how good you are to stay No.1 in the long-term, not just for the moment, to prove maybe I'm the long-term No.1 that can be in goal here for Liverpool for years to come," Karius told Liverpool's official website.
"But that's far ahead. So, for right now I just want to help the team in the remaining four months of the season to reach our goals and do well."
