Reflecting on the Portugal international’s tragic death in a car accident, the 58-year-old revealed his disbelief upon hearing the devastating news that the forward had lost his life at just 28 years old.
"You cannot be prepared to deal with things like that. Today we talk about the transfer window that would have looked completely different,” Klopp said on Steven Bartlett’s The Diary of a CEO podcast.
“You have to sort the things that you never expected you would have had to think about. Everybody wanted this boy to spend the next 10 years at Liverpool, all-around player, can play all positions, football smart.
"I cannot imagine the dressing room right now without him being there. That's for the boys as well. Nobody at Liverpool will ever use it as an excuse…. He was so close with James Milner, very close with Kostas Tsimiskas, that's moon and mars. Dealing with it on a personal level… Impossible."
Liverpool are currently enduring a winless streak, having suffered four consecutive defeats following their loss to Manchester United at Anfield.