Klopp's very own Pep

Pepijn Lijnders, referred to by many as ‘Pep’, joined Liverpool family as Liverpool U18 Youth Coach in Aug 2014. Later he worked under Brendan Roger as assistant Manager. Previously he has worked in PSV, and Porto FC. He returned to Liverpool after a short, unsuccessful spell at NIC Nijmegen, during which they missed out on promotion to the Eredivisie.

Lijnders is integral to the Reds’ philosophy and knows the club inside out. He is responsible for the training process. Klopp himself said that he really enjoy working together with Lijnders. Obviously the feeling is mutual as Klopp is the type of manager that "brings in really good people and then let them flourish". He said his trick is to listen to people. “It doesn’t mean that I tell them all the time ‘no, no, no – we did it like this in the past’. No, I listen. I listen because they are much closer.

Klopp sees Lijnders as a real energiser. "this man is on fire and our connection is beyond football things. I have been lucky enough to meet many, many people in football during my time in the game and I don’t think I have ever met anyone with the energy and enthusiasm he has for this game.”

Many tout as Lijnders Klopp’s potential successor. Mikel Arteta’s success at Arsenal has proven that assistants can take center stage and succeed. Whether that is possible at an elite club like Liverpool remains to be seen. Some would consider him as Merseyside hero Steven Gerrard's No.2. 

The Dutch name Pepjin is a variant of the name Pepin, which is of several origins. Pepin derived from the name Joseph and is of Frankish and Old French origin. Besides, Pepin is a diminutive of the names Wilbert or Wilbrecht. Pepjin means “he will add” and “God increases” (from Joseph) or “awe-inspiring” (from Frankish “bib” = to tremble). In Old French, Pepjin means “seed of a fruit” and “grower or gardener of fruit trees”. Besides, Pepjin has the meaning “bright will” (from Wilbert“). Which ever meaning we take it seems the name is well-selected for Klopp's very own Pep

Reference
https://www.transfermarkt.com/pepijn-lijnders/profil/trainer/23095
https://www.si.com/soccer/liverpool/opinions/can-pep-lijnders-beat-steven-gerrard-to-the-liverpool-job

https://www.thisisanfield.com/2022/04/jurgen-klopp-has-no-concerns-pepijn-lijnders-will-leave-to-take-managers-job/

https://anfieldindex.com/44290/pepijn-lijnders-shares-some-insights-into-being-part-of-the-lfc-backroom-team.html