"Only 14 Premier League titles" - Rio Ferdinand hits back at Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp's cheeky dig aimed at ex-Manchester United stars
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp recently made headlines, not for his team's performance, but for taking a cheeky dig at ex-Manchester United stars Phil and Gary Neville.
Liverpool faced off against Union Saint-Gilloise in the Europa League at Anfield on Thursday, October 5. The match gained attention as brothers Alexis Mac Allister and Kevin Mac Allister faced each other, representing the English and Belgian teams respectively.
The Reds, with goals from Ryan Gravenberch and Diogo Jota, sealed a victory, positioning themselves at the top of Group E. Yet, the Mac Allister brothers stole the limelight, as seeing siblings face off at such a high level of competition is a rarity.
In the aftermath of the game, while preparing for Liverpool's upcoming Premier League clash with Brighton, Klopp shared his perspective on the brotherly matchup (via TNT Sports):
"It's the first time that two brothers played against each other in world football, or [that's] what it felt like."
When a reporter reminded him that the Neville siblings had also played against each other during their football careers. Klopp jestingly remarked:
"Nobody was interested in that, obviously. I suppose we spoke about football..."
This offhand comment, however, elicited a retort from Rio Ferdinand on social media. Ferdinand, ever protective of his former Manchester United teammates, tweeted:
"Only 14 Premier League titles between the Neville households."
The Neville brothers are widely known for their efforts in winning the treble with Manchester United in 1999 under Sir Alex Ferguson. They won many more trophies together before Phil left Old Trafford in 2005 for Everton, while Gary remained at the club till his retirement in 2011.
Liverpool and Manchester United eyeing RB Leipzig's Openda - Reports
According to a report from BILD (via Football Transfers), Manchester United and Liverpool have expressed interest in RB Leipzig attacker Lois Openda.
The 23-year-old made the switch from Ligue 1's RC Lens to the German side just last summer. Leipzig secured his services for a hefty sum of €38.5 million, not including potential bonuses. However, given the rising interest from England, Openda's tenure in Germany might be briefer than anticipated.
Sky Deutschland has shone a light on an intriguing aspect of Openda's contract: a substantial release clause ranging from €80 million to €90 million. Falk further corroborates this detail but highlights that the clause becomes active only in 2025.
Openda's initial performances for RB Leipzig have certainly garnered attention. In his first 10 appearances for the club, he has found the net five times while also setting up two goals.