Ian Wright has sent Manchester United a warning ahead of their Premier League clash against Liverpool on Tuesday, and Ralf Rangnick has also expressed some concern ahead of their trip to Anfield.
United got back to winning ways on Saturday after Cristiano Ronaldo scored a stunning hat-trick in a 3-2 win against Norwich, but they looked vulnerable against a side rooted to the bottom of the Premier League. Liverpool on the other hand beat Manchester City 3-2 in the FA Cup semi-final, and blew Pep Guardiola's side away in the first half as they led 3-0 at the break.
Tuesday's game is a must-win for both Liverpool and United, as Jurgen Klopp's side are chasing the Premier League title, whereas Rangnick is looking to get his side into the top four. But Wright has sent United a warning and admitted that if they aren't careful, it could be a similar result to the reverse fixture, where Liverpool won 5-0 at Old Trafford.
Ronaldo's treble bailed United out on Saturday, as his free-kick handed the Red Devils all three points after Norwich fought back from being 2-0 down. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner now has 21 goals in all competitions and is single-handedly keeping United in the fight for a place in the top four.
Despite turning 37, Ronaldo is still as important to United as ever, but it's because of this that Wright is worried, as the former Arsenal star is concerned that they rely on him too much. Ronaldo is a leader and a born winner, but without him, United would be in a very different position.
Wright told Premier League productions: "If he [Ronaldo] wasn’t at Manchester United they would be nowhere near where they are now. That’s what you pay for and he’s delivered. He’s amazing, amazing.
"We’re talking about a team at the bottom of the league [Norwich] who gave United two goals today, literally. And they’re still able to open United up. If United play like that against Liverpool they’re going to get absolutely hammered."
United raced into a two-goal lead as Anthony Elanga took full advantage of some poor defending before handing Ronaldo a tap-in, and the Portuguese star then scored a bullet header to give them breathing space. And at that point, it looked as though United would go on to win handsomely.
But typical of United this season, they switched off, and an excellent link-up between Teemu Pukki and Kieran Dowell brought Norwich back level with ease. This concerned Rangnick, as even though United claimed all three points, he questioned the physicality of his side.
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Rangnick said after United's 3-2 win: "As soon as there's contact we need to become physical and aggressive but we weren’t and it's too easy. We're the only team in the league to concede goals like this. It's not a question of tactical discipline, it’s a question of how physical do we defend?"
Physicality is something that United will need against Liverpool, as with the speed that Klopp's side press they will be bullied if they aren't strong, as City found out at Wembley. Ibrahima Konate opened the scoring from a corner as City failed to deal with his presence, and Sadio Mane caught Zack Steffen napping, and bundled in from close range.
Liverpool may not be confident of producing another 5-0 masterstroke, but they will feel as though they have what it takes to do the double over United. Rangnick on the other hand, is clearly worried for his side ahead of Tuesday, where United play Liverpool under the lights at Anfield.
