Klopp's agent reveals he called Uli Hoeneß following criticism of his Germany role

When Jürgen Klopp was appointed Germany's national team coach following the World Cup, he brought his agent, Marc Kosicke, on board in an advisory role.

The decision initially drew criticism from Bayern Munich honorary president Uli Hoeneß, who told RTL/Sky:

“He (Kosicke) has a players’ agency, and he is its managing director. He also owns shares in it. I consider that a problem. The whole thing seems like a ‘friendly takeover’ to me. Klopp and co. have taken over the DFB, and I think that is wrong.”

Kosicke has now addressed the criticism during an appearance on FFH, revealing that he personally called Hoeneß to discuss the matter.

"I called him and left him a voicemail. Then he called me back, and I told him: 'If you have a question, you don't need to ask it publicly. You have my number. Call me and I'll answer all your questions.' Then we managed to clear things up relatively quickly,” Kosicke revealed.

The 55-year-old also explained that Klopp had insisted on having him involved in the project.

“Jürgen came into a negotiation with me and said: 'Let me make one thing clear: I'm not doing any of this without Marc.' A few people initially nearly fell off their chairs and said: 'Well, what is he supposed to do then? We've already got everything covered,'" Kosicke recalled.

"Then Jürgen said: 'You'll figure it out.' They then looked for a title for me, and everything had to be approved by the supervisory boards and presidents. Then Jürgen said: 'Wouldn't it be easier if he became my assistant coach?' They said: 'Yes, that can be done,' and that's how I became an assistant coach," he continued.

Kosicke's responsibilities within the coaching staff include strategy, development and innovation.