Coleman: I decide, not Klopp

CHRIS COLEMAN has insisted that he did not need advice from Jurgen Klopp before deciding to call up teenager Ben Woodburn for Wales. Liverpool boss Klopp said he was surprised Coleman did not speak to him before naming the 17-year-old forward in Wales’s squad for the World Cup qualifier against Republic of Ireland and hinted that the call may have come too soon. Klopp said the Wales manager now shares responsibility for Woodburn’s development but that is something with which Coleman seems comfortable, having tracked the player since his initial involvement with the national set-up aged 13. Speaking before Klopp made his comments, Coleman said he did not ring the German because ‘I understand when you pick young players then clubs go, “Oh, calm down” but I make my own mind up. ‘No matter how old he is, if he’s good enough and can help us then I am going to pick him. That’s no disrespect to Jurgen or anybody who says maybe he’s not. That’s their opinion.’ Woodburn, Liverpool’s youngest ever scorer, trained with the Wales senior team for the first time on Tuesday and Coleman said: ‘I’ve got a job to do for Wales. I have to pick my strongest squad. He belongs in our strongest 23. I know he is only 17 but he deserves a shot.’ Wales’s visit to Dublin is poignant for Coleman, who revealed that he scattered his father’s ashes in the Liffey three years ago. Coleman plans to remember the man who guided his career after the match. Paddy Coleman moved to Swansea in his early 20s and his son said he will drink a pint of Guinness in his honour should Wales beat Ireland.