Michael Beale has revealed why he made a sudden exit from Liverpool back in December.
Beale enjoyed a very successful four-year reign as Liverpool's Under-23 manager, helping the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ben Woodburn and Sheyi Ojo, among others, make a transition into the first team and it was certainly very surprising to see him abruptly depart from Anfield back in December.
After leaving Liverpool, Beale made a surprise move to join Brazilian giants Sao Paulo and he has now gone on to explain that the great opportunity in South America to work with legend Rogerio Ceni led to his exit from Merseyside.
He told Sky Sports: "This job came out of the blue. I'd spent 10 years at Chelsea, working through the ages, and then I had four-and-a-half years at Liverpool. I wasn't looking to leave.
"But I'm not at the top of the mountain, I'm still trying to climb it, so when I saw the facilities at Sao Paulo, the stadium and heard what Rogerio wanted me to do, I thought I'd regret not taking the challenge.
"He's an icon at the club. He played for Sao Paulo for 24 years, making over 1,200 appearances and scoring over 130 goals. It's like Steven Gerrard getting the Liverpool job or Ryan Giggs taking over at Manchester United.
"I loved the Liverpool experience but maybe I'd come to the end of the cycle there. It was time to challenge myself."
Source: tribalfootball.com