WHEN Craig Hignett took over at Hartlepool United in February, the new manager was keen to cite Jurgen Klopp as an inspiration.

And now Hignett has been compared to Klopp by a former Pools and Liverpool midfielder.

Don Hutchison left Pools for Anfield in a £175,000 move in 1991. Now retired the Gateshead-born former Scotland international has admitted he sees shades of the German in Hignett.

“I like to keep an eye on all of my old teams and Hartlepool are no different. I might not know what formation they are playing every weekend, but I’ll always keep an eye on the table,’’ said Hutchison on his bwin.com blog.

“I’ve seen Craig Hignett is doing well there and he’s a great lad. I’ve played a few veterans matches with him and he’s genuinely one of the funniest men I’ve ever spent time with, a truly fantastic storyteller. I think that charisma well suit him well, he’s got a bit of Klopp about him in that respect.

“You see the likes of Rodgers and Roberto Martinez give very sterile interviews even after they’ve taken a hiding and it’s rubbish.

“Klopp on the other hand, you can see the passion is still blazing even after the game is finished and he’ll call it as it is. That’s a skill I think Craig can use at Hartlepool, he won’t pull the wool over the fans’ eyes and that’s good, old-school management.’’

To read the full blog visit sports.bwin.com/en/news/football-betting/premier-league/hutchison-exclusive-interview,114403.html