Few former players can say they represented both Liverpool and Manchester United, but former England international Paul Ince can.
The former midfielder spent six years in Manchester, but only spent two season on Merseyside before settling at Wolves toward the end of his career.
As a man who represented both clubs on either side of possibly the most famous rivalry in football, Ince is the perfect player to compare the two.
The Liverpool Echo asked the former Reds captain whether it’s Anfield or Old Trafford that he holds in a higher regards, and his answer may surprise some.
“Liverpool European nights, you can’t beat them,” he said on the Blood Red podcast. “They’re special and it is iconic with all the flags. It is amazing.
“I think the atmosphere depends on the time, doesn’t it? When we look at Old Trafford, because it is so vast now, it is so corporate, it’s not the atmosphere that you do get at Liverpool.
“I love the Liverpool people. They come and support the team, they know football and they back their players. But one thing about the two teams, you never see them boo their players off, or very rarely. They are understanding fans.
“They are different atmospheres in different ways, but I like the way Liverpool look after their players, look after their own.
“That’s Liverpool as a city, they look after their own and whether you come from Timbuktu or Manchester United, like I did, they look after you, because you are one of them, and that’s what I like about them.”
It’s interesting that Ince seemingly sides with Liverpool so hard – I understand that he loves the people, but I’m surprised his answer wasn’t more diplomatic!
The former Red will surely have annoyed his previous employers in Manchester, with these comments, but it’s true that more and more clubs are now being run like businesses.