Give the title to Reds, says United icon
Former Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov said their traditional foes Liverpool deserve to be crowned Premier League champions and it would be unfair on the Anfield side if the season cannot be completed due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The campaign has been suspended with the league saying it was keeping the restart date under “constant review”.
Liverpool, who have a 25-point advantage over reigning champions Manchester City and nine games left, need six more points to guarantee lifting their first title in 30 years.
“People are suggesting to give the title to Liverpool, and honestly they deserve it the way they had been playing, nobody was going to catch them,” Berbatov, who scored 56 goals in four seasons at United, said.
“With the way they play their games, the football they produced and how far they are in front, they fully deserve the title this season.”
While there has been speculation about a reduced season or even abandoning the campaign, the Premier League said the aim was still to complete all remaining league and cup matches.
“However, any return to play will only be with the full support of Government
and when medical guidance allows,” the league said in a statement on Friday.
Ex-Bulgaria striker Berbatov, who also played for Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham in the English top flight, said he did not know which decision about completing the season would be the right one, adding “whatever is decided won’t be so popular”.
In 2010 Berbatov became the first United player to score a hat-trick against arch-rivals Liverpool in 64 years as the home side enjoyed a thrilling 3-2 victory at Old Trafford.
“It’s so strange, and it will be unfair on them (Liverpool) if the season is voided, they will be so disappointed,” he said.
Meanwhile, Liverpool have furloughed some of their non-playing staff due to the Covid-19 pandemic and are holding talks about the prospect of salary deductions for players and senior staff, the club said on Saturday.
Liverpool added on their website that the furloughed staff would continue to receive 100% of their salaries.
And Newcastle united’s on-loan England defender Danny Rose says Premier League players feel their backs are against the wall over calls to take wage cuts during the coronavirus pandemic.
Amid mounting criticism, the Premier League said on Friday it would consult with players about a proposed 30% reduction in player wages while the season remains suspended.
Talks with the players’ union, the PFA, were continuing on Saturday, and Rose, who is on loan from Tottenham Hotspur, said they were “keen to make something happen.”
Earlier this week, Britain’s health secretary Matt Hancock added his voice to the debate saying footballers should play their part during the crisis by taking a pay cut.
“We sort of feel that our backs are against the wall,” Rose told the BBC. “Conversations were being had before people outside of football were commenting. I’ve been on the phone to (Liverpool captain) Jordan Henderson and he’s working so hard to come up with something.
“It was just not needed for people who are not involved in football to tell footballers what they should do with their money. I found that so bizarre.”
Henderson has spoken with other captains to figure out ways to help frontline staff dealing with the coronavirus outbreak which by Friday had claimed 3,605 lives in Britain.
Manchester United captain Harry Maguire has asked his team mates to donate 30% of their salaries to local hospitals and was given backing by the squad.
Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder, speaking on the BBC’s Football Focus programme on Saturday, said it was disappointing that people were using the crisis to point fingers.
“It’s always disappointing when some people are deflecting and finger pointing at this time when people are seriously ill and dying,” he said. “Football is a major player in this country and lots of footballers past and present have a huge conscience about what we do and doing the right thing.”