I wish Klopp had been able to work with the real Ciro - Immobile

Ciro Immobile says he wishes Jurgen Klopp had been able to coach the "real" version of the Lazio striker when they worked together at Borussia Dortmund.

Immobile joined the German giants in 2014 after an incredible season at Torino, in which he scored 22 goals in 33 Serie A appearances.

The Italy international was supposed to replace Robert Lewandowski at the head of the Dortmund attack, but he failed to settle in the Bundesliga. 

Immobile spent just one season in the German top-flight and scored three goals in 24 league appearances as they dropped to a seventh-place finish.

He did, however, claim the DFL-Supercup with Klopp's team and his goals helped guide them to the DFB-Pokal final, where they lost 3-2 to Wolfsburg.

Now back in his homeland with Lazio, the striker has scored 26 times in just 24 Serie A appearances this term to help lift the team to second place and just a point behind Juventus.

Klopp recently backed Lazio to win the Scudetto this season, highlighting Immobile as one of the reasons. 

"I am cheering for Lazio to win the title. We have a former Liverpool player in the title race, that is Lucas Leiva," Klopp told Rai . "Ciro Immobile was also one of my players at Borussia Dortmund.

"I’m sorry for Maurizio Sarri and Antonio Conte, but I think Lazio will be a great surprise. They are having an incredible season."

And Klopp's words came as a pleasant surprise for Immobile, who believes he would have thrived under the German boss had they met at a different time.

"I was pleased to hear his kind words," Immobile told Lazio Style Radio. "We met at the wrong time in our careers at Borussia Dortmund and I wish he’d been able to work with the real Ciro. Despite that, we were still able to win the DFB-Supercup."

The 30-year-old is happy with his side's performances this season and says there is a good atmosphere in the dressing room.

"We feel proud, that’s the right word, of the way people are talking about Lazio," he added. "It shows that hard work does pay off.

"As team-mates, we really just get along and like spending time together, enjoy each other’s company. We’ve been able to build a family unit here.

"At times we have a go at each other, but that’s only natural, we make up and everything is even better than before. We started from pre-season training with so many dreams, now we are enjoying ourselves. We are a family chasing a dream."