Jamie Carragher details 'biggest difference' between Liverpool and Manchester United during his playing days

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Liverpool and Manchester United have always been rivals – but this is what set them apart, according to Jamie Carragher

Jamie Carragher details 'biggest difference' between Liverpool and Manchester United during his playing days
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Jamie Carragher believes that Manchester United had more success than Liverpool during his playing days because of the leaders in their squad like Roy Keane and Peter Schmeichel.

The former defender was a one-club man from 1996 to 2013, during which time he had many run-ins with the Reds’ biggest rivals from Old Trafford.

But while the Red Devils dominated English and European football in that period, Carragher failed to win the Premier League with his boyhood club.

Gary Neville celebrates a goal for Manchester United against Chelsea in 2000.

Gary Neville won eight Premier League titles  (Image credit: Getty Images)

Speaking to his former United rivals Keane and Gary Neville in the'Stick to Football' podcast, Carragher tried to put his finger on why United were serial title winners during his playing days and Liverpool weren’t.  

“The biggest difference was the Class of 92 had amazing players,” Carragher said.

“But when you [Neville] were coming into the team, the best players were Schmeichel, Keane, and [Eric] Cantona.

Peter Schmeichel

Schmeichel was a key figure for United in the 1990s (Image credit: PA)

“Liverpool’s lads who came into the team were Liverpool’s best players – [Robbie] Fowler, [Steve] McManaman, Stevie [Steven Gerrard], and we had Michael Owen too.

“You [Keane and Neville] had them [senior leaders], they guided you, whereas Liverpool’s young players, [Robbie] Fowler at 18, 19 was Liverpool’s best player, same with Michael Owen and Steven Gerrard – there was never that Roy Keane, Schmeichel or Cantona figure you looked up to, to drag you along.”

Neville won eight Premier League titles and Keane seven during their playing days, but they shared similar success with Carragher in Europe.

Carragher won the Champions League in 2004/05 and the UEFA Cup in 2000/01, while Neville won two Champions League titles and Keane one for the Red Devils.

Jamie Carragher was speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet. 

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Alasdair Mackenzie

Alasdair Mackenzie is a freelance journalist based in Rome, and a FourFourTwo contributor since 2015. When not pulling on the FFT shirt, he can be found at Reuters, The Times and the i. An Italophile since growing up on a diet of Football Italia on Channel 4, he now counts himself among thousands of fans sharing a passion for Ross County and Lazio.