Gary Neville regrets Man United not bringing in ‘exceptional’ Liverpool man

Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville has admitted he wishes the Red Devils had appointed Jurgen Klopp prior to his move to Liverpool.

Prior to his arrival on Merseyside, Klopp had won promotion with Mainz, before joining Borussia Dortmund and guiding them to two Bundesliga titles, two DFL-Supercups and the DFB-Pokal.

Still only his late 40s before he moved to England, Klopp was a very highly regarded manager and his switch to Liverpool was a very exciting one - though no one could have expected him to enjoy quite as much success as he has.

When the Reds appointed Klopp in 2015, Louis van Gaal was halfway through his spell at Old Trafford, however Neville has revealed that he would have loved it if they had instead pipped their rivals to it and brought in the German themselves.

Speaking on the UMM YouTube channel, Neville said: “I can’t go back in time but I wish they had appointed Jurgen Klopp.

“He’s been supported at Liverpool by a brilliant backroom team that have got the players in for him and every manager at United has struggled, but he’s an exceptional manager, of course you wish we would have appointed him.”

In Klopp’s seven years at Anfield he has helped them to every trophy on offer bar the Europa League, while also reaching another two Champions League finals.

The 55-year-old has established himself as one of the Premier League’s greatest ever managers, meanwhile United have had another four coaches since Van Gaal’s departure in May 2016 - none of whom have won anything since the 2016-17 season.

At the time, the likes of Van Gaal and Jose Mourinho were seen as much more reliable, experienced options and the arrival of Klopp in Manchester may have raised a few eyebrows, but Neville certainly won’t be the only fan that wishes they had snapped him up before Liverpool could get their hands on him.

Klopp and the Liverpool squad will face Erik ten Hag’s side on Monday evening as they both continue to search for their first win of the new campaign.