Sir Alex Ferguson has opened up on his long-term rivalry with Liverpool during his days as Manchester United boss.
Ferguson took over at Old Trafford in 1986, and at the time, the Merseyside club were dominating English football and there was one task for the Scotsman - to knock their rivals off their perch.
That he did, with the United legend spending 26 years in charge on the red side of Manchester - winning 38 trophies, which included 13 Premier League titles.
Ferguson retired from his role as United boss in 2013, leaving behind a legacy that the club have struggled to replace since his retirement.
During his 26-year career with United, he had many hard-fought battles with Liverpool - with the two huge clubs developing a fierce rivalry, something Ferguson has now opened up on.
During an interview with Gary Neville for Sky Sports, the former United manager was asked about whether a hatred of them was how he kept the desire to keep defeating them, and replied: “It’s my respect for Liverpool.
“When I was the manager of St Mirren, I went down to Liverpool’s training for a week and I saw the intensity of their training, the consistency they had, so when I came to United, they were winning all the titles.
“It’s like when I was at Aberdeen, there are only two teams you need to beat in Scotland to win everything, that’s Rangers and Celtic.
“When I came to United, there was only one team you needed to beat to win the league and that’s Liverpool. That was my intention.
“I put everything into producing a team to beat them, not necessarily beat them every game but beat them throughout the weeks.
“I knew if we beat Liverpool, we’re on the right path.”
