Where are the Keanes & Soueys?

TODAY’S Manchester Unitedliverpool game is not just a pivotal contest in the battle for second place in the Premier League.

It could yet be a dress rehearsal for the Champions League final.

One thing is fairly certain: Jurgen Klopp is not going to repay Jose Mourinho the compliment of going to Old Trafford and parking the bus.

With Liverpool’s front three Mo Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane in such devastating form, that would be a waste of firepower. United seemed to reconnect with their attacking instincts by coming back from 2-0 down to win at Crystal Palace this week, so I don’t expect them to retreat into their shells, either.

When I compiled a composite United-liverpool XI, purely as an exercise of selection and curiosity, I soon realised how it was virtually impossible to include every deserving candidate in the front line.

And for clubs who gave us Roy Keane, Paul Scholes, Bryan Robson on one side, or Steven Gerrard (tackling

Keane, above) and Graeme Souness on the other, the current alternatives in midfield are not a patch on some of the great engine rooms this fixture has enjoyed down the years.

For a bit of fun – nothing else – here’s my hybrid team based loosely (but not only) on current form. Tweet me if you agree, and I’m sure you’ll tweet me if you don’t...