Jurgen Klopp has admitted that not even the emergence of Liverpool’s youngsters will be enough to persuade him to reconsider his decision to leave the club.

Klopp revealed in January that he would stand down as Liverpool manager at the end of the season after nine years at Anfield. Since then, he has led the Reds to League Cup glory, and, in the face of a crippling injury crisis, blooded an increasing number of starlets from the club’s academy.

There were seven academy players in the Liverpool matchday squad for last weekend’s Carabao Cup final win over Chelsea, not including previous graduates Caoimhin Kelleher and Harvey Elliottt. Meanwhile, 18-year-old strikers Lewis Koumas and Jayden Danns both scored their first professional goals in the 3-0 victory over Southampton in the FA Cup in midweek, with 16-year-old Trey Nyoni also becoming the fourth-youngest player in the club’s history when handed his debut off the bench.

Reiterating his decision to stand down in the summer, Klopp again insisted it was the right thing to do. And while the German would be responsible for overseeing the next stages of the aforementioned starlets’ career, he is confident that the club is in good hands and confirmed he will continue to follow their progress.

Liverpool v Southampton: Jurgen Klopp press conference

“It has nothing to do with (the youngsters),” Klopp said when asked how he feels about leaving the club just as so many starlets are coming through into the first team. “If it would be about the people around me, I love my… the ‘more senior’ players as well.

“I will miss them as well. Seeing the young boys coming through, it just gives me a very good feeling for the future of the club, which is much more important than anything. I will miss them and I will follow them.

“It’s not about not wanting (to carry on), it’s about what is right. That’s why I do it (leave the club). Not because I don’t like some players and want to leave because of that.

“Or now there are young players and I like them more and I should stay, it’s not like that either, definitely not.”

Klopp also shared his delight at posing for a picture with all of the club’s academy staff and the League Cup trophy at the AXA Training Centre, as he recognised their contributions to the Reds’ win over Chelsea at Wembley.

“Yesterday was a wonderful day as well. We had the staff picture,” he said. “We do that usually if we win a trophy, we do a staff picture.

“I don’t know why we didn’t do it in the past but yesterday we did it 100% with the full academy staff as well. There was a lot of people in this picture, it was wonderful.

“I really wanted everyone to feel it and to understand it properly, about the role they played in that whole story. That was really cool.”