Former Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius has admitted there is no "bad blood" between himself and Jurgen Klopp following the agonising end to his stay at Anfield.
The former Germany under-21 goalkeeper, who was signed by the Reds from Mainz 05 in July 2016, saw his career on Merseyside brutally ended after he made a string of errors in the 2018 Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid. Karius handed Los Blancos striker Karim Benzema a gift for the opening goal of the evening before he later fumbled Gareth Bale's long-range effort into the back of his goal to condemn Klopp's side to a 3-1 defeat at the NSC Olimpiyskiy in Kyiv.
Despite the Liverpool manager handing his full backing to the goalkeeper in the days, weeks and months after the final, the signing of Alisson Becker - for a then world-record fee - would spell the end of the German's stay at Anfield as he would never take to the field for Liverpool in a professional setting again.
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After loan spells at Besiktas and Union Berlin, Karius was left out of Liverpool's Premier League squad for the second half of the 2021/22 season as the Reds chased Manchester City to the wire in a thrilling title race. However, despite his difficulties before leaving Anfield in the summer of 2022, the German revealed that he holds no animosity towards the Liverpool boss.
"My time at Liverpool was over and I was looking to move on [in 2021], but then there was difficulties to get a transfer done," said Karius while speaking to ESPN and other media outlets during Newcastle United's mid-season training camp. "I found myself in a situation where I had to stay at Liverpool, knowing I wouldn't get my chance.
"It was discussed openly with the manager. There's no bad blood, but knowing the situation from the beginning was tough. Last season, being left out of the matchday squad, you lose a bit of the feeling you have when you win, lose and travel with the team.
"You just miss it. It's then not easy to stay positive and keep working because you obviously know you are not going to be involved. I learned a lot from that and tried my best in training and kept myself positive on the mental side.
"I've played over 200 games in the first division and national teams so I knew my qualities. I knew I had plenty to offer. I am only turning 30 and that's not old for a keeper, but of course last season was difficult."
Having signed for Eddie Howe's side on an initial short-term deal earlier this year, Karius has been tipped to pen fresh terms at St James' Park and is part of the Magpies squad looking to break into the Premier League's European places and continue to go from strength to strength following their takeover from a Saudi Arabian-led consortium last October.
However, the 30-year-old is hoping he can finally allow his football to do the talking once again, admitting that he is tired of the endless talk around his performance against Real Madrid in May 2018, which he believes ultimately cost him a future under Klopp.
"It [the mistakes] made me go to another club," Karius said on reflection of his mistakes. "It was maybe a move that wouldn't have happened otherwise.
"I have said everything about this [the 2018 Champions League final]. For me it is tiring to keep talking about it, it's football and things happen."
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