Former Liverpool midfielder Jason McAteer pulled no punches as he criticised the attitude of Manchester United's players - stating the Reds' rivals have lost their fear factor.
Erik ten Hag's first season at Old Trafford saw a resurgence as the Red Devils qualified for the Champions League ahead of Liverpool while also winning the League Cup. It was the club's first trophy since 2017.
The Dutchman made clear his intentions to knock the Reds off their perch with his famous 'eras come to an end' quip, though already their push to stay ahead falters after a meagre start to the new campaign.
Sitting 13th in the Premier League standings and having just lost their Champions League group opener to Bayern Munich, pressure is mounting and the latest to weigh in on the debate is McAteer.
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Speaking on beIN SPORTS' coverage of Europe's elite club competition, the 52-year-old - who made 139 appearances for Liverpool between 1995 and 1999 - provided a brutally honest outsiders opinion of his ex-foe.
"They're lost with their identity and Andy [Gray] used [the phrase] last season - no one fears Manchester United anymore," he stated.
"They used to come to Anfield and it'd be like 'right, we're in a game today, we could lose this'. We'd never feel like that about anybody, but obviously this was Manchester United who were dominating through the nineties.
"They would come to Anfield and we would be up against it. We might nick something - I remember winning one game, drawing another, losing a couple - but they had that fear factor.
"They don't have it anymore, their identity is gone and I
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