Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs made a huge prediction regarding his former club and Liverpool back in 2011, and they are coming back to haunt him now.
Liverpool and Man Utd's spells of success
The Red Devils and the Reds remain the two biggest clubs in English football, enjoying a great rivalry throughout history and having different periods of success.
Liverpool were on top for much of the 1970s and 1980s, winning First Division titles and European Cup glory, but their era of glory ended around 1990, prior to United becoming the dominant force in the Premier League.
For nearly 20 years, they ruled the roost, even though the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal enjoyed strong periods as well, and it felt as though they would go nowhere with Sir Alex Ferguson in charge.
Since the Scot departed, however, United have fallen away dramatically, not winning the league since 2013 and often being a laughing stock, while Liverpool have returned to the top, winning two Premier League titles in the past five years.
Giggs' bold Man Utd and Liverpool prediction in 2011
Speaking back in 2011, Giggs boldly claimed that Manchester United would never collapse and fade away like Liverpool after a period of dominance, which in hindsight, has ended up looking foolish.
“Our manager is not always looking just for this season. He buys players with a view to the future, which he’s done more and more over the last few years. He’s bought players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Anderson and Nani – all young players who have got the ability to go on and be better, and all of whom have done that.
“Now we’ve got the next batch, the likes of Javier Hernandez, Rafael and Fabio Da Silva, Gabriel Obertan and Chris Smalling, all young players who will hopefully get better over the next few years. The manager is experienced enough to know that we’ll be challenging for the league this season and long after that because of the nucleus of the squad we have, as well as adding fresh blood, which gives everyone a lift.”
It’s fair to say that Giggs’ comments now look foolish, considering United’s period of dominance in the 1990s and 2000s is long gone, having not won a Premier League title in 12 years.
Liverpool are now streets ahead of their rivals, excelling under both Jurgen Klopp and Arne Slot, and it feels like a long time before United will be able to compete for the top honours again.
History has shown that both the Reds and Red Devils are far too big not go away forever, though, and there is every chance that United will be back again at some point.
Liverpool could just do without one of their current players tempting fate like Giggs did all those years ago.