Alan Shearer picks his Liverpool vs Man United combined XI | OneFootball

Alan Shearer Sides With Liverpool In Bold Combined XI

Alan Shearer has sparked debate across Liverpool and Man United fanbases after naming a combined XI ahead of their showdown at Anfield. The former Newcastle United striker has gone all in on Liverpool’s superiority, selecting ten players from Arne Slot’s champions and leaving space for only a single representative from Old Trafford.

Heavy Liverpool Bias Raises Eyebrows

Shearer placed Luke Shaw at left back, overlooking Milos Kerkez, making the England international the only Man United player deemed worthy. The rest of the line-up featured Liverpool stars, including Alisson Becker in goal and a defence of Conor Bradley, Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate.

His most striking omission was Alexander Isak. Despite the Swedish striker’s British record £125million move from Newcastle to Liverpool in September, Shearer refused to include him. That decision comes as no surprise given his public disapproval of the transfer. Instead, Hugo Ekitike was selected to lead the line with Mohamed Salah on the right and Cody Gakpo on the left.

Further notable exclusions included £116m Florian Wirtz, with Dominik Szoboszlai chosen alongside Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch in midfield.

Shearer Explains His Thinking

Looking ahead to the game, Shearer said: “Liverpool v Man United is always big because of the size of both clubs and former players will always tell you that the fixture is huge and one they look out for which means so much to both sets of fans and players.

“With Liverpool have lost three on the spin which no-one saw coming and Man United being the way they are, there’s no doubt there is extra spice to this game. It’s a game that both teams have to go and win for different reasons.

“International breaks are always tricky because as a manager and club, you want to sit and work or go on the training ground and work on what’s gone wrong but it’s difficult when you’ve got so many international players away. It would’ve been a tricky two weeks for Slot and (Manchester United boss Ruben) Amorim.”

Speaking to Betfair, Shearer added: “If Slot has a full squad to pick from then it wouldn’t surprise me if he went back again to what worked for him again last season, particularly in such a volatile fixture.

“Man United would snap your hand off for a point, there’s no doubt about that.

“It’s easier said than done though because as we said, the noise around this fixture is great and there’ll be a great atmosphere at Anfield. There always is.”

Pressure On Both Dugouts

Arne Slot, fresh from winning the Premier League in his debut season, finds himself managing expectations as much as performances. Ruben Amorim walks into Anfield knowing that containment may be his only realistic route. If Shearer’s line-up reflects broader opinion, Liverpool remain firm favourites despite recent setbacks.