Manchester United and Liverpool are the oldest of rivals in the English game.
In the 1970s and 1980s, it was the Merseyside club that dominated English football, winning 11 First Division titles to United’s none.
However, the formation of the Premier League seemed to change United’s fortunes and, under the stewardship of Sir Alex Ferguson until his retirement in 2013, the Red Devils won 13 of 21 Premier League titles.
Reds boss, Jurgen Klopp – Photo: Paul Roberts / Offside.
United currently sit on 20 First Division crowns, and Liverpool are second on 18, although the Reds have to go back to 1990 for the last time they won the league.
Both teams appear to be improving after a few difficult years and may well be challenging for the title this time around, but which Manchester United players would walk straight into the current Liverpool team?
Here’s THREE that definitely would…
David De Gea
Photo: Marc Atkins / Offside.
David De Gea is arguably the best goalkeeper in the Premier League.
The amount of times he has single-handed saved Manchester United is reflected by the fact that he was won three consecutive Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year awards.
Jurgen Klopp has just brought in another goalkeeper in the form of Loris Karius, a young shot-stopper who could have a very bright future, because Simon Mignolet is prone to making too many errors.
De Gea would walk into a number of Premier League and Champions League sides, and one of them is Liverpool.
Eric Bailly
Photo: Marc Atkins / Offside.
Going forward, Klopp’s Liverpool are as exciting and as clinical as most in the division, it’s defensively where they are lacking.
United signed the Ivorian international Eric Bailly from Villarreal in the summer, and he is already proving to be a clever acquisition from Jose Mourinho.
He has adapted well to life in England. He’s very composed on the ball and has excellent vision, but is also strong in the tackle and great in the air.
Likened to one of United’s best centre-halves, Nemanja Vidic, the 22-year-old has all the hallmarks of becoming one of the world’s best defenders, and would easily get into the Liverpool team ahead of the current first-choice duo that is Dejan Lovren and Joel Matip.
Luke Shaw
Photo: Simon Stacpoole / Offside.
Although United have some excellent forward players, it’s their defence that really sets them apart from the Merseyside club.
Alberto Moreno is currently Liverpool’s best left-back, and that is clearly such an issue with Klopp that he decides to play James Milner as a makeshift full-back instead.
Thus, Liverpool don’t really have a first-team left-back. Nevertheless, Luke Shaw trumps them both.
Although he’s had a few injury issues, including that horrific double leg fracture last season, the 21-year-old has started his United career reasonably well since his big money move from Southampton in 2015, despite Mourinho publicly calling him out for a mistake in the Red Devils’ defeat to Watford last month.
A few niggling groin issues has thwarted his return to the side since then, but there’s no doubt that Shaw has the potential to stay at United for many years to come, and to be England’s number one choice left-back.