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Marko Grujic says that he returned to Hertha Berlin for a second Bundesliga football season on the advice of Liverpool coach Jürgen Klopp.
Grujic, 23, scored five goals and one badist in 20 Bundesliga matches on his first loan with Hertha last season, before returning briefly to Liverpool in the summer.
It was at this time that the Serbian international midfielder spoke with Klopp, former strategist of Mainz and Borussia Dortmund, to discuss his immediate future.
"I spent a few days in Liverpool for medical tests at the end of the season," Grujic said. Sport Bild. "We sat together and discussed my projects.
"I have a contract with Liverpool until 2023, but we had a similar point of view: I was able to call only at 50% of my abilities at Hertha." caused by the sinking have delayed me.
"He thought, and I agreed, that it would be better for my development to spend another year in the Bundesliga."
Watch: Marko Grujic looks back on his first Bundesliga goals and his life at Hertha Berlin
Grujic also revealed that the appointment of Ante Covic as Hertha's head coach had played a key role in his decision to stay with the Capital Club, rather than accepting an offer from elsewhere in Germany.
"Ante was the first person at Hertha to contact last summer," said Grujic about the former coach of the Hertha Reserve team. "He explained what Hertha had planned for me and how I could make the most of my potential here.
"It was also an important reason why I really wanted to stay this summer.
"I'm really happy that he is now my coach."
Grujic (left) has already started working under former Hertha player and under-23 coach Ante Covic (right). – imago images / Bernd König
Hertha finished eleventh in the Bundesliga last season under his predecessor, Pal Dardai, but Grujic believes the club should aim for at least one finish in the top half in 2019/20.
"We can do more," he said, as Hertha lost eight points before the first half of 2018/19.
"We are able to finish in the top seven.
"That's another reason why I did not want to leave – I have a business pending at Hertha."
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