Stuttgart director Sven Mislintat says his blind faith in Jurgen Klopp was validated by his recommendation of Nathaniel Phillips.
Mislintat spent seven years working with Klopp at Borussia Dortmund.
His former colleague recommended Phillips for a loan move to Stuttgart last season, and Mislintat was happy with how it worked out.
Speaking on the Kicker meets DAZN podcast, Mislintat said: "When Marcin Kaminski got injured with us, Klopp approached me and said I should take a look at Nathaniel Phillips because he was looking for a loan deal for him.
"Even though I trust Klopp blindly with such an offer, I bear the responsibility of course.
"That's why I first had to take a look at him myself and give him a credible assurance that he has a real chance to play with us.
"In the end, it turned out that he was exactly the kind of player we were looking for."
Asked who are the most impressive characters in football, Mislintat named Klopp, Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson.
"Of the people I've worked with, it's Klopp," he said.
"It was also special for me to move to Arsenal because of Arsene Wenger, with whom I was able to work for a year. For me, he was the benchmark for how to develop Dortmund. If you're honest, that's exactly what we're doing now in Stuttgart.
"We're making the most of our opportunities, bringing in young players with good recruiting, developing them and, in turn, the club.
"If I could pick another former great coach I would have liked to work with, it would be Sir Alex Ferguson alongside Wenger. I'm strongly influenced by my time in England."
