Jurgen Klopp named LMA Manager of the Year as Sir Alex Ferguson reveals 3.30am phone call

Jurgen Klopp has won the Sir Alex Ferguson Trophy for the LMA Manager of the Year following Liverpool’s Premier League-winning campaign.

Former United manager Ferguson praised Klopp for ending Liverpool’s 30-year wait for league glory when announcing the winner on Monday.

Jurgen, fantastic. We speak about Leeds spending 16 years in the Championship, but Liverpool 30 years since winning that league, incredible, said Ferguson.

You thoroughly deserved it, but the performance level of your team was outstanding. Your personality runs right throughout the whole club. It was a marvellous performance.

I'll forgive you for waking me up at 3.30am to tell me you have won the league! Thank you, but anyway, you thoroughly deserved it. Well done.

Liverpool rounded off am impressive title-winning campaign with a 3-1 victory at Newcastle on Sunday to set a new club record of 99 points.

Jurgen Klopp has pipped Wycombe manager Gareth Ainsworth and last season's winner Chris Wilder to the Sir Alex Ferguson Trophy for the LMA Manager of the Year at the LMA Awards

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) July 27, 2020

I'm absolutely delighted to get this wonderful trophy, it's really wonderful, Klopp told Sky Sports News.

I saw who won it before, some really big, big Liverpool names involved - not only Liverpool names - like Bill Shankly I think, Bob Paisley, Joe Fagan and Kenny [Dalglish] whose name seems to be all over the trophy.

But the name on this is Sir Alex Feguson's and I know it's not 100 per cent appropriate as Liverpool manger but I admire him, not to say I love him.

He was the first British manager I met and we had breakfast together. I'm not sure if he remembers it but I remember it still because in this moment it was for me like meeting the pope if you want. It was absolutely great and from the first moment we really clicked.

I wouldn't have thought one day I would be holding a trophy in my hands that was named after him.

Klopp won the award ahead of Leeds manager Marcelo Bielsa, Wycombe manager Gareth Ainsworth and last season's winner Chris Wilder of Sheffield United.

Bielsa won the Sky Bet Championship Manager of the Year award after Leeds final ended their 16-year Premier League absence when winning the second division title.

Chelsea's Emma Hayes was named Barclays FA Women's Super League Manager of the Year.