Paul Scholes has backed Liverpool to beat Manchester United on Monday, because Jurgen Klopp’s side have an “identity”.
The two bitter rivals meet at Anfield on Monday evening, __with Liverpool eyeing a victory that would see them rise to the top of the Premier League table, joint on points __with Manchester City and Arsenal.
United will be keen to secure three points themselves, as a win could lift them above Klopp’s side and into fourth.
But United legend Scholes believes that they could struggle against the Reds, and that Jose Mourinho’s lack of “ruthlessness” in the summer could hurt him.
“If you were betting, you would be betting on Liverpool,” he said.
“He was not ruthless enough in the off-season,” added the former midfielder, discussing Mourinho. “There is so much confusion about who should play.
“What I saw of Mourinho at Chelsea, he had 13 or 14 players who played every week. He never rested players even in the League Cup or whatever competition he was in.
“With United it is still a settling-in period – it is going to take a bit of time for them to knit together and see what they are about.
“Is there an identity to the team yet? I don’t think there is.”
Scholes then added, of Liverpool: “You can see Jurgen Klopp has stamped his way of playing football on the team.
“There is a definite way about them. You know how they are going to play: they are going to be quick; they are going to try to take the ball off you and try to score goals by flooding the box.
“I was worried about them defensively, but they have already played some of the big teams and they are a real threat.
“The form they are in, they look as good as any team in the league.”