One former Liverpool goalkeeper quickly shot down any notion of the club potentially raiding one of their arch-rivals for two exit-linked players.
Brad Friedel appeared on The Transfer Show on Sky Sports (7:35pm, 7 August, via HITC) when he discussed the Reds’ summer transfer window up to this point, saying: “I like their business so far, but I would like to get them one or two in the midfield.
“Their back four, sometimes, looks incredible to me. Maybe one more piece of the puzzle at the back, in the centre, next to [Virgil] van Dijk.”
While the American is eager for Liverpool to bring in another midfielder and centre-back, he wasn’t entertaining the idea of a double raid on Manchester United for Scott McTominay and Harry Maguire when that was suggested to him.
Friedel promptly replied: “No, not for Liverpool. Don’t do the Man United and Liverpool thing right now.”
Even with many Liverpool fans eager for the club to sign a midfielder and possibly a centre-back this month, you’d surely struggle to find one who’d advocate either McTominay or Maguire as a potential option.
Such is the rivalry between us and Man United that, not including a move to the latter’s academy team for Ethan Ennis two years ago, the last direct transfer between the clubs at first-team level was Phil Chisnall’s switch to Anfield way back in 1964 (SPORTbible).
In any case, since Friedel’s comments on Monday night, West Ham have agreed a deal in principle for the England defender while also seeing a bid for the Scotland midfielder rejected (Sky Sports).
Neither of the Red Devils duo has ever been truly convincing at Old Trafford, with Maguire’s stock falling so low that he was booed by some of his own team’s fans during a pre-season game in Dublin last weekend (GIVEMESPORT).
Liverpool could well strengthen in both midfield and at centre-back before the transfer deadline, but the former Reds goalkeeper’s verdict on the exit-linked United pair is one which’ll have been echoed by many of a Merseyside persuasion.