Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has issued a warning to players at the club who do not show enough motivation to impress him.
The former Borussia Dortmund boss's time at Anfield has begun with two draws as he begins to settle into life in English football after nearly 30 years as a player and coach in his native Germany.
The 48-year-old said that although he likes to be there as a friend for his players, anyone who does not show the right attitude under his rule might find themselves short on opportunities.
"If you are full of motivation as a player, if you are full of concentration, full of readiness and passion as a player, I am not hard," he told The Telegraph.
"If you are not then of course [I am hard], but only because to work with players who don't understand the professional part of this life is a little bit of a waste of time. If they are very young, I can help of course, I can talk about this, give you one chance, two chances, three.
"I love to be something like a friend of the player, but five [chances] if you are of another age and some other managers have tried it before, then it is a waste of time."
Liverpool host Southampton in the Premier League at Anfield on Sunday with the chance to rise to as high as sixth in the table with a win.
Tom Nightingale
