Premier League: Liverpool boss Juergen Klopp says his opinion on coronavirus doesn't matter

Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp bristled at questions about the coronavirus on Tuesday night after his side crashed out of the FA Cup, saying his opinion on the topic does not matter as he was merely someone with a “baseball cap and a bad shave.”

Klopp was asked following Liverpool’s 2-0 defeat by Chelsea in the fifth round if the team was worried about the spread of the flu-like virus or how it might affect them.

“Look, what I don’t like in life is that (for) a very serious thing, a football manager’s opinion is important. I don’t understand it,” Klopp told a news conference.

The virus has killed over 3,000 people globally and infected almost 91,000, prompting a number of football clubs in Europe to ask their players, staff and officials not to shake hands in an attempt to slow its spread.

“It’s not important what famous people say. You have to speak about things in the right manner. Not people with no knowledge, like me, talking about something,” Klopp added.

“People with knowledge should tell the people to do this, do that and everything will be fine, or not. Not football managers. I don’t understand politics, coronavirus… why me? I wear a baseball cap and have a bad shave.”

Premier League leaders Liverpool, who have lost three of their last four games in all competitions, host Bournemouth on Saturday.