'It just falls apart' - Micah Richards makes Liverpool point about Manchester United's struggles

Micah Richards has made a comparison to Liverpool when analysing Manchester United's recent form.

United claimed a 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest on Wednesday night in the FA Cup. The victory set up a quarter-final tie with Liverpool at Old Trafford later this month.

Erik ten Hag has come under increased pressure in recent months as United boss. The Dutchman responded to that pressure by guiding the Reds to a four-game winning streak in the Premier League that included victories over Wolves, West Ham, Aston Villa and Luton Town.

However, United lost 2-1 at home to Fulham last weekend that saw Ten Hag's future come into question once again. The defeat was also the first game that saw Rasmus Hojlund on the sidelines with an injury, and Richards has compared United and Liverpool's ability to compete with key players absent.

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Richards, who made 246 appearances for City, has explained why he thinks United have struggled when key players have been absent due to injury.

"Analysing Man United and scrutinising all the time because of the size of them, sometimes it's a little bit of an overreaction," Richards said on the Rest is Football podcast alongside Alan Shearer and Gary Lineker.

"They were in good form but even when they were winning those games, it wasn’t like ‘Oh my god, they look amazing. This is a style of play, this is how they’re playing, all the strikers were on absolute fire.’ [Rasmus] Hojlund was on form but as soon as he came out of the team, the whole dynamic of the team changes.

"Take Liverpool, for