Jurgen Klopp Hailed by Ronald Koeman, Congratulated by Sir Alex Ferguson

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has received widespread praise from Premier League managers past and present following his thrilling start to life at Anfield, including Ronald Koeman and Sir Alex Ferguson.

Southampton boss Koeman has been particularly impressed with the German's insistence on playing attacking football at the Reds helm, while aiming a jibe at his Premier League peers, per the Mirror's Simon Mullock:

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It is completely different stuff. We now see a totally different Liverpool side. They are an exception compared to the biggest clubs in the Premier League. None of the big clubs dare to play real attacking football.

Manchester City don’t do it, Manchester United don’t, Arsenal don’t and Chelsea don’t. Their intentions are totally different. They all drop back a bit, they wait for a mistake and then come out to attack. That is not what I call taking initiative. They don’t want to be dominant or attack, despite all the quality they have.

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The Saints manager went on to describe Klopp's approach as "refreshing" and "really what the Premier League needs," a humble gesture considering his side were recently battered 6-1 by Liverpool in the League Cup.

Under managerial predecessor Brendan Rodgers, it was Liverpool's failure to beat the top teams that sometimes let their silverware hopes down, but Koeman went on to say that's now changing under Klopp:

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I have always admired coaches who have the guts to go forward so much. Klopp is not passive. He does not wait. He wants his team to be the boss on the pitch and go for it. I know it is early days yet, but you don’t win 3-1 [away] against Chelsea, 4-1 [away] against Man City and 6-1 against Southampton without a serious idea about top-level football.

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The former Feyenoord chief is right that Klopp's influence at Anfield has been instant, and the team have lost just one game—a 2-1 defeat at home to Crystal Palace—during his 11 matches in charge thus far.

Klopp has also revealed that former Manchester United manager Ferguson contacted him upon being appointed to the Liverpool helm to wish him well, per the Liverpool Echo's Ian Doyle:

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He said congratulations and the rest is private. But I've had the huge honour of meeting him a few times and of course he is a role model for every manager in football. It was a big pleasure because he's a funny person and something like a book of history in football so it was good to spend some time with him.

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Manchester United's rivalry with Liverpool might be heated, but even the fact Ferguson took the time to send congratulations suggests Ferguson also has some respect for the former Borussia Dortmund boss.

The infamously fiery-tempered man doesn't strike as the type to go out of his way for a figure he doesn't hold in some esteem. The manager of Sunday's opponents Newcastle United, Steve McClaren, has jumped on the praise bandwagon, per the Press Association:

It hasn't even been two seasons since Liverpool finished two points behind Manchester City in the 2013-14 title race, and Klopp is aiming to not only revive those standards but indeed exceed them.

Admittedly, two very important pieces of the puzzle have moved on, with Luis Suarez and Steven Gerrard the most notable departures since the Reds came so close to winning their first league crown since 1990.

Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images

The Merseysiders have made major strides to rebuild their squad since then, and many will argue that with Klopp in charge, the team is now even better placed to launch a bid for top spot.

It's difficult not to concur if the tactician's first two months in England are anything to go by, and managers far and wide are queuing up to give the Premier League's newest face their share of peer praise.