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Jurgen Klopp wasn't sure where Bury was when he turned his attention to the next stop on Liverpool's pre-season travels.

If manager Ryan Lowe has his way, the Reds boss will become well acquainted with the League Two club over the coming years.

Klopp has been promised a warm welcome, a post-match pint and potentially a head lock on his first ever visit to Gigg Lane on Saturday.

It's the first meeting between the clubs since 1980 and for lifelong Kopite Lowe it will be a proud occasion.

“I grew up in St Domingo Vale in Anfield, a couple of streets down from the Kop,” he told the ECHO's Anfield+ podcast.

“I've followed them up and down the country and all over Europe over the years. I was over in Kiev with my little boy for the Champions League final in May.

“I can't wait for Saturday. I'd love to spend a bit of time with Jurgen after the game. I've found out what his favourite German beer is so I've got a couple of them in for him. Hopefully he can stay for one or two.

“Just to pick his brains would be brilliant. I'm going to get Jurgen in a head lock and keep him in my office until he agrees that they will come back again next year!

“Joking aside, it's a relationship we want to build, especially with me being a big Liverpool fan.”

(Image: James Maloney)

Bury chairman Stewart Day lives around the corner from Klopp in Formby and Lowe is hoping that Liverpool will consider loaning them Academy youngsters in need of Football League experience.

“The chairman has to take a lot of credit for getting this fixture sorted,” Lowe added.

“It's great for a small club like Bury and we can't thank Liverpool enough.

“If we could get Liverpool to Bury every year or every other year that would be a big coup for us.

“With our style of play and the training facilities we have, loans going forward could be mutually beneficial.

“Our lads are really looking forward to it. Liverpool will be welcomed with open arms and we will be very respectful to them.

“We want them to turn around and come back like Jurgen's mate David Wagner has done the past two seasons with Huddersfield. He likes the way we try to play and the pitch is in pristine condition.

“It will be competitive but there won't be any crazy, silly challenges going in.”

(Image: Action Images / Adam Holt)

Lowe was on Liverpool's books as a teenager before launching his career with non-league Burscough. The prolific striker moved into the Football League with Shrewsbury in 2000 and went on to play for the likes of Chester, Crewe, Bury, Sheffield Wednesday, MK Dons and Tranmere as he clocked up over 700 appearances.

The 39-year-old took over as caretaker manager of Bury back in January and despite being unable to keep them up, he impressed sufficiently to land the job permanently.

“I was at Liverpool's School of Excellence at the old Vernon Sangster, but the fit wasn't quite right for me,” he said.

“I chose to drop out, just to enjoy my football again. A couple of years after me you had Robbie Fowler and Michael Owen scoring goals so either way I don't think I'd have made it at Liverpool.

“Steven Gerrard was a year younger than me and he used to play up sometimes, while Jamie Carragher and David Thompson were in the year above me.

“I went down a different route and in the end I had a successful career. I turned pro at 20 so I had 19 solid years of it.

“Around the age of 32 or 33 I decided I wanted to be a coach or a manager. I wanted to use what I'd learned from the managers I'd played for and went and got my licences.

“I had a four-year plan to become a coach and then eventually a manager. Fortunately for me, it came a lot quicker than that. Now I've signed a two-year contract. For the short period I've been in charge, I've enjoyed it. We need to get our identity back and we need a bit of stability.”

Lowe's friendship with Gerrard meant that Bury were the Kop legend's first opponents in management. More than 41,000 packed into Ibrox for last week's friendly as Rangers ran out 6-0 winners.

(Image: Nathan Stirk/Getty Images)

“I've known Stevie since my days at Liverpool and I worked with his mate Ian Dunbavin at Shrewsbury,” Lowe said.

“We've been mates for about 20 years. I followed him all over the world to watch him play for Liverpool and England.

“It was great that Stevie invited us up there. It was the kind of experience we'll never forget.

“He's putting together a very competitive squad. When Steven Gerrard is your manager, you know straight away that you have to be better, whether it's attitude, application or fitness.

“I've got no doubt he will be very successful up there. Our friendship will remain strong. We've both got our managerial jobs to look after now but we'll always be on the end of the phone for each other.”

Klopp will take a strong squad to Bury, boosted by the return of Virgil van Dijk and Joel Matip following Tuesday's 3-2 win at Tranmere.

The goalkeeping situation is currently a headache for the Reds boss with Loris Karius clearly still carrying the scars of the Champions League final.

But Lowe is buoyant about the direction his boyhood club are heading in with Klopp at the helm.

(Image: James Maloney)

“Listen, last season was fantastic,” he added.

“If Mo Salah had stayed on the pitch in the final I think it would have been a different story. He's our talisman and was the best player in the league by a country mile.

“For Liverpool to get to the final the way they did, Jurgen deserves massive credit. And he's made some decent signings this summer to ensure they kick on again.

“I am hoping Karius bounces back strongly and I'm sure he will. It's harsh what's happened and I'm not here to criticise.

"That's what happens with keepers – they make a mistake and there's no-one to save them. It can be a lonely place for keepers at times. We'll show all their playing staff the respect they deserve.

"I'm a big fan of Klopp and I'm sure that trophies will soon follow. They will get to where they need to get to because they have a fantastic manager with fantastic players."

James Pearce was talking to Ryan Lowe as part of tomorrow's (Saturday) Weekend Preview podcast on the LFC ECHO app. The app is free to download and is available for Apple and Android devices. Once you have downloaded the app, tap on the Anfield+ section to listen to our new daily podcasts.