Manchester United 'haven't got a strong squad' - Ex-Liverpool and Manchester United's Paul Ince
Formerly of Liverpool and tomorrow's visitors the ex-midfielder thinks Jurgen Klopp’s squad is much stronger than Jose Mourinho’s current crop
Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Ince believes Jose Mourinho's current squad lacks depth and quality.
Speaking ahead of United’s trip to Anfield on Sunday, Ince, who represented both sides, thinks it is Liverpool that has the stronger group of players.
“When you look at Liverpool, they have a strong squad and a strong bench,” the 51-year-old told the Mirror.
“They’ve got players who can come on and make a difference.
“As for United, if they're missing a few players, they have to call for Marouane Fellaini and start launching it long. They haven’t got a strong squad.
“Liverpool have the stronger squad as a whole, hence why they’re doing so well,” he added.
While Ince was critical of the current United squad, he does believe they have some quality players, who are just not performing under Mourinho.
“When you compare the two teams, you have to do so based on the form of the players.
“At the moment, you’d probably say that, in Paul Pogba, United have the best midfielder between the two sides, but he’s not performing well.
“Alexis Sanchez is out and he’s meant to be world class.”
Ince knows all about the ferocity of the Liverpool v United derby. He represented the Red Devils for six years and was part of the United side who won the first Premier League title in the 1992-93 campaign.
After leaving Old Trafford for a brief spell at Inter Milan, Ince controversially joined Liverpool in 1997, and remains one of the few players to play for both sides in the Premier League era.
And while he may have been involved in some cracking fixtures between the two clubs over the years, Ince doesn’t think Sunday’s clash will be a classic.
“Sometimes you look at these derbies and imagine it'll be a great game, two heavyweights going head-to-head, but then it turns out to be a drab, terrible game in which they both cancel each other out,” said Ince.
“If Liverpool were playing Manchester City, you'd know it would be a great spectacle with both teams playing attacking football. But United don’t play that way, Mourinho’s more conservative and all about getting a result.
“He'll go into this one with a deep block and try to use the break. It's important for United and Mourinho that they don’t get blown away.