Durban-born former LFC player Sean Dundee says he hopes Reds give Jürgen Klopp the send-off he deserves

Former Liverpool FC striker Sean Dundee, who signed for the club in June 1998, says he is hopeful that the Reds can go all the way and win the Premier League title ahead of their German manager Jürgen Klopp’s departure.

Showmax chats to Dundee about his Liverpool career, as well as the performance of the Reds this season, and his expectations ahead of the Merseyside Derby.

Liverpool’s title run in:

• Everton vs Liverpool, Wednesday, 24 April at 21:00
• West Ham vs Liverpool, Saturday, 27 April at 13:30
• Liverpool vs Tottenham Hotspur, Sunday 5 May at 17:30
• Aston Villa vs Liverpool, Monday, 13 May at 21:00
• Liverpool vs Wolves, Sunday, 19 May at 17:00

As the run-in for the title intensifies, Showmax caught up with South African-born former Liverpool striker Sean Dundee to get his verdict on Liverpool’s performance this season.

Dundee, who played for the Reds for one season under French Boss Gerard Houllier before departing the club in 1999, also chats about his time as a Liverpool player and gives his thoughts ahead of tonight’s Merseyside Derby which will be shown live on Showmax Premier League at 21:00.

“They have exceeded expectations”

Despite his disappointment at Liverpool’s performances of late, Dundee believes the club can go all the way and win the Premier League. “I don’t get to watch Liverpool matches as I live in Germany and we don’t get live coverage of the game here – however, I do follow all the results and read as much as I can,” Dundee tells Showmax. “Liverpool have had a great season, and they have exceeded expectations, especially since they’ve undergone a rebuild this season.”

“However, the past few weeks have really put doubt in my mind. They have been extremely poor, and it almost looks like they are starting to lose their belief that they can do it. In the past few weeks, they have gone from possibly chasing a quadruple, to now only having the Premier League to chase after. And that too is going to be a battle now that City have an advantage and the momentum is going for them.”

But Dundee isn’t writing his former club off. “They have bounced back nicely after exiting the Europa League. They put in a wonderful performance this past weekend against Fulham, which was a tough game. That win was super important as Arsenal won too.”

“Judging by the fixtures that Manchester City, Liverpool, and Arsenal have, I feel like Liverpool can go on and win the remainder of their games, while I don’t see the same happening for Arsenal. They are still left with some very tough games, and I am certain they will drop points. I also don’t see City winning all their games and will drop points in at least one game. So, there is a chance for Liverpool to give Klopp the perfect going-away present.”

Who’s next for Liverpool?

Dundee, who signed for Liverpool in June 1998, moving from German club Karlsruher in the Bundesliga, says he is also gutted by the departure of the energetic and vibrant Klopp. “I’m upset that he is leaving. I love him as a coach. When I first found out that he was leaving, my hope was that he would join Bayern Munich as Thomas Tuchel is leaving Munich and I am a big Bayern fan and would have loved to have seen him managing a team I love.

“However, when I have seen Klopp on TV of late, he looks like he needs a break. I think he would love to have the energy to continue at Liverpool, but he looks tired and looks in desperate need of recharging his batteries.

“You get the feeling that now is the right time for a break for him, so he will take a year or two off, recharge those batteries, and then get all that passion back and he will be ready to fire on all cylinders. But it would be great if he could lead Liverpool to title glory in the Premier League before he does depart. It would be the perfect ending to a really incredible story at Liverpool.”

Dundee’s hope was that current Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso would take over from Klopp at Liverpool. However, Alonso has recently announced his intention to stay at Leverkusen for another season.

“I love Xabi Alonso; he is an incredible coach. When I heard Klopp was leaving, I felt that Xabi would have been the perfect replacement. He has played for Liverpool; he has the passion and the drive. He understands the city and its people, and it would have been a match made in heaven.”

“But obviously, Xabi has decided to stay for another season at Leverkusen, to take the pressure off him for a little bit, so I really don’t know who would suit Liverpool.

“My other thought was Steven Gerrard. He could possibly thrive at Liverpool, despite disappointing stints at Aston Villa and in Saudi Arabia. Gerrard has the passion and drive to continue the success and great football that Klopp has instilled in the club.

“I do feel as though Liverpool need a big-name manager, and there aren’t many available out there, so we will see. But no matter who comes in, it will be a difficult task to replicate what Klopp offered to the club, both on and off the field.”

All to play for in the Merseyside Derby

Ahead of the Merseyside Derby tonight, Dundee has also given his thoughts. He says the Reds will have a tough game on their hands, as no Merseyside Derby is an easy fixture, despite Everton’s poor season.

“Everton will be determined to avoid the drop and so they will be giving their everything to ensure they take something from the game. I expect them to play their hearts out tonight.”

“Yes, they will take great joy in derailing Liverpool’s title ambitions, but that won’t be their main motivator. Their main focus will be to ensure that they stay in the Premier League next season, which means they have to try and get something out of tonight’s game.”

“Liverpool have been conceding first ever so often this season. They cannot afford to do that tonight. The crowd will be on top of them, and it will be tough if they go behind. So, they need to ensure that they get an early goal and have a good start to the game.”

A promising career

Dundee unfortunately never played in a Merseyside Derby. In his season at Liverpool, he was injured for the first fixture and sat in the stands for the other fixture. “I was watching the game with my mom from the stands. It was the game when Robbie Fowler scored a double and did his controversial sniffing celebration. I don’t think anyone will forget that game. I would have loved to have been a part of a Merseyside Derby, but, unfortunately, that never happened for me.”

Dundee played for Liverpool for just a single season before being sold, plagued by a terrible injury which ruled him out for most of the season. While Dundee didn’t get much game time at Liverpool, he says he does not regret a single moment of his footballing career, including his short stint at the Reds.

He says signing for one of the biggest football clubs in the world was a dream come true for him. When Dundee joined the Reds in June 1998, hopes were high. He had scored 36 goals across three seasons for Karlsruher in the Bundesliga and, in 1995 was fast-tracked a German passport, having been personally convinced by national team boss Berti Vogts to snub an international debut with South Africa, the country of his birth.

Yet he never made it beyond the Germany B team, suffering an injury just before his planned debut, and failed to start a single game during his solitary year at Liverpool, making only five substitute appearances.

But Dundee has no regrets. “I had three options,” he says. “Rangers, Gladbach and Auxerre. Guy Roux, the legendary French coach, was Auxerre manager, and I was on the verge of signing for them, but I wasn’t 100% sure. Then I got the call that Liverpool were interested and I threw everything else out of the window. It happened quickly; probably not even a week from hearing about it, it was pretty much signed and sealed.”

“I couldn’t believe it, it was a dream come true. I always wanted to play in England as a kid, I was absolutely stoked. However, I had a terrible season and picked up the worst injury of my football career. Also, the new coach didn’t have me in his plans and so it made it difficult for me. It was a big low in my career, but I don’t regret any of it. I met a lot of great guys, made friends for life, and got the experience of playing for one of the greatest football clubs in the world.”

“I feel like I should have done a lot more in my career, and I only have myself to blame. But looking back, I am proud of what I achieved as a footballer. I was a boy from Bluff in Durban who had a wild dream and I made it come true. So I have no regrets at all.”

These days Dundee lives in Germany with his family.  He is a football coach and trains kids and is also a football commentator for the Bundesliga. “I love football and I am glad I get to still pursue my passion, but in another way. I could never see myself working in an office. These days, I am on the football pitch training young kids. I motivate them and tell them to set goals and try and make them realise that no dream is too big to achieve.”

Dundee says while he hasn’t been to South Africa in almost a decade, he hopes to return soon for a holiday with family.

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