LIVERPOOL: Alex Ferguson once described Liverpool versus Manchester United as the biggest fixture in club football and Monday’s clash at Anfield has been made all the more intriguing by the debate over the form of Wayne Rooney.
United’s captain, dropped to the bench for his club’s last three fixtures, suffered the same fate with England during last week’s goalless draw away to Slovenia.
Rooney has faced heavy criticism lately, yet Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp is still wary of Rooney, who scored the only goal as United won in the Premier League at Anfield in January.
“I know a lot of what everybody thinks at this moment about Wayne Rooney and I cannot think the same things, even as the manager of Liverpool FC,” said Klopp.
“He is 30 years old and has had a very long and more than a decent career in the Premier League. The longer you are part of something, the more people know about you and think they can say about you,” the German added.
“Why does anybody think that Jose Mourinho is blind from one second to the other and says, ‘OK, he’s not good enough any more but he’s still playing’? Or why do they think Sam Allardyce (the former England manager) did it, or why Gareth Southgate (the interim England boss) did it? They all know about his quality and know about his value for each team he plays in.”
{{/usCountry}}“Why does anybody think that Jose Mourinho is blind from one second to the other and says, ‘OK, he’s not good enough any more but he’s still playing’? Or why do they think Sam Allardyce (the former England manager) did it, or why Gareth Southgate (the interim England boss) did it? They all know about his quality and know about his value for each team he plays in.”
{{/usCountry}}APPEAL TO FANS
Paul Pogba, who scored a stunning goal for France while on international duty, has asked Manchester United fans to give him time to adapt to life back at Old Trafford.
“I will need a little time to adapt in Manchester, time for the machine to start working. I am adapting,” Pogba said in an interview with French TV station TF1.