Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has claimed Cristiano Ronaldo would not feature in a Manchester United and Liverpool combined XI.
Carragher and Gary Neville were discussing the squad strength of both Liverpool and Manchester United ahead of the two teams meeting at Old Trafford on Sunday when Carragher stated that Jurgen Klopp would not pick Ronaldo in his team right now.
The 36-year-old star has scored five goals in seven matches across all competitions for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men this season will come up against Liverpool for the 13th time in his career on Sunday but will go into the game having failed to score in his last three Premier League outings.
And when asked to name a combined Liverpool and Man United starting XI, the former Liverpool defender Carragher insisted that on current form, he would pick ‘superstar’ Mason Greenwood ahead of Ronaldo.
‘I’m a massive Greenwood fan, I think he’s a superstar, I really do,’ Carragher told Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football.
‘How can you not put Ronaldo in, in terms of what he’s done, a legendary figure? I’m talking about actually right now, today, I’d have to have Greenwood.
‘[Roberto] Firmino got a hat-trick for Liverpool at the weekend and has done really well. But going back to last season, and this season, Greenwood is a superstar and I had to find a place for him in there.
Carragher selected nine Liverpool players in his combined XI, but left out Ronaldo. And when he was asked if Ronaldo would get into the Liverpool team, Carragher simply replied: ‘No’.
However, Carragher’s fellow pundit, Gary Neville, who also selected nine Liverpool players, included Ronaldo in his combined XI.
When asked if he agreed with Carragher, the former Manchester United right-back said: ‘Obviously I disagree with that.’
Carragher then responded: ‘No, I don’t think Jurgen Klopp would pick Ronaldo if he was picking what we’re picking now.
‘That’s the headline for the weekend, isn’t it! He’s going to get the winner now.’
Neville, who also selected Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah in attack, explained the reason for choosing Ronaldo, saying ‘It wasn’t easy but just the idea he’s one of the greatest goalscorers of all time, and with Salah and Mane I thought he should be upfront.
‘You would have him upfront. In that team, with Fabinho and [Jordan] Henderson behind, with Firmino behind and those two out wide, he would be absolutely devastating.’
Meanwhile, Carragher was full of praise for Liverpool centre-back Joel Matip, selecting the Cameronian ahead of United captain Harry Maguire in his first XI.
‘Possibly in the last 12 months or even further you could have Maguire in there [next to Virgil van Dijk],’ Carragher added.
I’m a huge Harry Maguire fan, he’s a really good player, it’s got nothing to do with his performance at the weekend [at Leicester] – but I actually think Matip has possibly been better than Virgil van Dijk this season.
‘He’s a player that goes under the radar because he’s not a huge name. He came in on a free transfer. He’s been there a long time under Jurgen Klopp. He’s had injury problems.
‘But every time he plays he’s top class, he really is and that partnership with Virgil van Dijk is really good at the minute. It is.
‘The performances he’s given, certainly, in the last 18 months, he was the centre-back who played in the Champions League final for Liverpool.
