Jurgen Klopp was pulling one of those faces and laughing raucously, as he often does when asked to discuss a subject he would rather dodge.
He was standing on the touchline of Fleetwood’s Highbury Stadium on a glorious Wednesday evening in July. Liverpool had sauntered to a 5-0 win in their second pre-season friendly and everybody wanted a piece of Klopp.
The many fans who had gathered behind his dugout wanted autographs or pictures. Fleetwood officials wanted to know what he made of their team and ground but what triggered the colourful reaction from Klopp was a request for his views on a certain 16-year-old.