Jason McAteer feels there is "an element of Shankly" to Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.
The ex-Ireland and Reds player has met the former Borussia Dortmund and is struck by his charisma and compared his willingness to build something to Liverpool's legendary former manager Bill Shankly.
McAteer was speaking at the SPAR FAI Primary School 5s National Finals at Aviva Stadium, which he is ambassador for.
"He's full of charisma. There's no falseness about him. There's an element of Shankly there, he feels he wants to build something at the football club. It's all natural to him, it's not like he's making it up," said McAteer of Klopp.
"I watched him train at Villarreal, the night before the game and I couldn't take my eyes off him, never mind the players. It's just he's such an engaging character and you want to see what he's up to, how he manages, how he coaches. He's a great fit for Liverpool."
Image by SportsFile
McAteer also feels Daniel Sturridge's attitude will dictate whether he has a long-term future as a lead striker for Klopp at Liverpool.
"If they're both singing off the same song sheet, then I think there will be a position for Daniel," he said.
The ex-Boys in Green midfielder also turned his attention to Ireland's upcoming Euro 2016 campaign and feels everything hinges on the opening game on June 13th.
"If we don't get three points against Sweden, it's going to be very, very tough to get out of the group," he said, while he also spoke about some of the fears from a fans perspective for those travelling to France amid the threat of terrorism following attacks in Paris and Brussels.
"After the events that happened in Paris and Belgium, I think human nature will always edge on the side of caution. It will always be at the back of people's minds that they do need to be vigilant. UEFA, the police, the security services will be working overtime to make sure that the competition runs smoothly and safely," he said.
He also added that: "But it's difficult. You can't live your life being dictated to by terrorists. You've got to go out and live your life. You've got to go to these events and support them. But you've got to be vigilant and careful."
McAteer also looked back on the 1996 FA Cup final and the "Spice Boys" era with Newstalk's Team 33 which we will broadcast and podcast on Tuesday May 17th.
SPAR FAI Primary School 5s Programme ambassador and former Republic of Ireland International Jason McAteer was at the AVIVA Stadium to watch the SPAR FAI Primary School 5s National Finals where 192 girls and boys from 24 schools battled it out for national honours. The 2016 SPAR FAI Primary School 5s Programme was the biggest yet as almost 24,000 children from 1,267 schools took part in county, regional and provincial blitzes nationwide. For further information please see www.spar.ie or www.faischools.ie.
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