Liverpool Manager Jurgen Klopp Hits Back at Gary Neville's Criticism

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has hit back at Gary and Phil Neville after their criticism of Reds goalkeeper Loris Karius.

The German was quizzed on the former Manchester United pair, who criticised Karius in their roles as pundits for Sky Sports and Match of the Day, respectively.

Per Andy Kelly of the Liverpool Echo, he said:

"

The pundits are the former players a lot of them and forgot obviously completely how it felt when they got criticised.

Especially the Neville brothers who I have to say really, the one who was the manager [Gary] he obviously should know that too much criticism never helps—but he's not interested in helping a Liverpool player I can imagine.

But that makes the things he says not more sense. He showed that he struggled with the job to judge players. Why do we let them talk about players on television? I wouldn't but the only thing I can do is I don't listen to them.

"

Per BBC Sport's Juliette Ferrington, Klopp added:

Gary was critical of the 'keeper following Liverpool's 4-3 defeat to Bournemouth, in which Karius made several costly mistakes—he believed Karius made his defenders anxious rather than exuding a calming presence.

In an interview with the Daily Mail's Ian Ladyman, Karius responded by dismissing Neville's criticism and accusing the former Valencia boss of being harsh on all players.

The Manchester United legend hit back on social media, pointing out fellow Sky Sports pundit and former Liverpool star Jamie Carragher was similarly critical of the German stopper while also saying he is fair in his analysis:

Karius was poor again as Liverpool drew 2-2 with West Ham United on Sunday, prompting Phil to add his thoughts on Match of the Day 2:

Gary spent his entire career at United while Phil played for the Red Devils and then Everton, so it's of little surprise they're not overly fond of the Reds.

However, the pair—the former in particular—have shown themselves to be insightful pundits who aren't afraid to be critical of their former sides or praise rival teams.

Further, Karius' recent performances haven't inspired much confidence, so their criticism hasn't come in a vacuum—even former Liverpool players such as Carragher have been in agreement with them.

Klopp's desire to protect his player from criticism, even if it's warranted, is equally understandable, though, and there's hope for Karius yet—United 'keeper David De Gea was in a similar situation in his first season at the club and is now one of the best in the world.

The 23-year-old still has room to develop and has only made 10 appearances in the Premier League—as he accrues more experience, he may well become more reliable at the back and enjoy a more positive influence over his defenders.