It is a sign, perhaps, of how Jürgen Klopp has adjusted to life in English football that he thinks Tony Pulis would make a worthy manager of the year.

Klopp, the Liverpool manager, has not always been so appreciative of his West Bromwich Albion counterpart; they were involved in a touchline confrontation the first time they met, as the German was finding his way in the Premier League 16 months ago.

Yet on Sunday, as Liverpool try to move a step closer to Champions League qualification at the Hawthorns, Klopp is open about his respect for Pulis. He expects Chelsea’s Antonio Conte, or perhaps Tottenham’s Mauricio Pochettino, to take the individual coaching awards given out by the League Managers’ Association and the Premier League, yet sees Albion’s head coach as being among the very best in the country.

“It’s a players’ game,” Klopp said. “The better the players we have, the better we look in public. But as a manager, you always respect the things like Tony Pulis is doing at West Brom a lot.

“You should not think he has a bad football team. They are really good. They have a few outstanding players. So yes of course he will have a chance [of being manager of the year].