Man Utd takeover news LIVE: Sir Jim Ratcliffe finally ANNOUNCED, £1.3bn deal for 25%, Dave Brailsford role update
SIR JIM RATCLIFFE'S deal for 25% of Manchester United has finally been announced on Christmas Eve.
Ratcliffe's Ineos Sport group are taking charge of the football operations of the club.
And it comes less than 24 hours after they were beaten for a 13th time this season following Saturday's 2-0 loss against West Ham.
Follow ALL the latest from Old Trafford with our live blog below...
Man in the middle
Today's referee at Anfield is Michael Oliver, regarded by many as the No1 official in the Premier Leauge.
Anthony Taylor will be the one dealing with Klopp and Ten Hag as fourth official with John Brooks the VAR.
Evans starts, Rashford on bench
Jonny Evans starts for Manchester United for their trip to Liverpool - but Marcus Rashford is only on the bench.
Erik ten Hag makes two forced changes from Tuesday's defeat to Bayern Munich with Bruno Fernandes suspended and Harry Maguire injured.
Luke Shaw is fit to start, Kobbie Mainoo is in the starting XI and Scott McTominay captains the Red Devils.
United XI: Onana; Dalot, Varane, Evans, Shaw; McTominay, Mainoo, Amrabat; Antony, Hojlund, Garnacho
United we fall
Manchester United and Liverpool have been blocked from a potential £50million payday after being ruled OUT of the new expanded Club World Cup.
Fifa chiefs unveiled the official criteria for the 12 European sides eligible to take part in the 32-team event in the USA in 2025.
Manchester City and Chelsea have been guaranteed their place in the most lucrative club event in football history - worth £1BILLION-plus - after their Champions League triumphs in 2021 and last season respectively.
But Liverpool and United are officially OUT of contention - although Arsenal could STILL take a place.
Read the full article from SunSport's chief sports reporter Martin Lipton here...
Yor not confident
Dwight Yorke is not feeling hopeful about United's chances at Liverpool this afternoon.
So much so that he will have his "fingers crossed" because the Red Devils need a huge stroke of fortune to shock Jurgen Klopp's rampant Reds.
Treble-winner Yorke told : "With Man United losing to both Bayern and Bournemouth, the morale around the dressing room won't be positive ahead of the Liverpool clash. That's not the ideal to prepare for a game of that magnitude.
“I'm not saying United aren't capable of defying the odds and getting a result at Anfield. The Premier League has been so unpredictable this season.
“I'll keep my fingers crossed. It'll be a difficult one for United, but football has a way of kicking you in the teeth and proving you wrong. I won't get ahead of myself.”
Utd boost in Dan hunt
Newcastle have put Bournemouth’s transfer chief Richard Hughes on top of their hitlist, SunSport can exclusively reveal.
The Toon are braced for a call that will take their sporting director Dan Ashworth to Manchester United once the protracted buy-in by Sir Jim Ratcliffe takes place.
Ashworth, 52, is first choice for the football supremo role should Ratcliffe and sidekick Sir Dave Brailsford finally take 25 per cent of Old Trafford.
The Red Devils could offer Ashworth a role that could convince him to quit Newcastle barely a year after joining.
Newcastle can place Ashworth on gardening leave for an extended period of time — as Brighton did when they lost him — but they would need a top replacement.
And Cherries technical director Hughes’ name is on the lips of many on Tyneside.
Credit: Getty Owen nails colours to mast
Michael Owen has backed Liverpool to beat another of his former teams this afternoon.
Owen burst on to the scene at Anfield but had a short stint at United towards the end of his career, famously scoring a dramatic winner in a Manchester derby.
But ahead of the crunch clash, apple core-throwing Owen told : "I'd say Man Utd will be a little bit nervous about going to Anfield considering their recent form.
“Anfield can be a stadium where you can take a real beating, and Man United have felt that in the past! Instead of going there with fear and defending the entire game, they should look at how Spurs played against Man City.
“My concern with Manchester United is that they'll go to Anfield and lose 2-0, then a few players will be relieved that it wasn't a 5-0 embarrassment!
“I'd say 2-0 to Liverpool. It'll be a reasonably comfortable win.”
United missed out on Modric
Sir Alex Ferguson tried to sign Luka Modric for Manchester United.
SunSport columnist Harry Redknapp revealed Fergie called him about the Croatian midfielder - but the deal fell through for "various reasons".
Modric stayed put at White Hart Lane until 2012 when he joined Real Madrid, winning five Champions Leagues and a Ballon d'Or.
Berba fearful for huge task
Ex-United striker Dimitar Berbatov admitted he felt like "s***" watching the Red Devils get thrashed 3-0 by Bournemouth last week.
And now he recognises the magnitude of the task a visit to Anfield this afternoon.
Berbatov told : "I felt like s*** watching the Bournemouth game. It felt like United didn't have an answer to the way Bournemouth were playing.
"Now they go to Liverpool. Even with the injury list, losing games means Erik ten Hag needs to answer questions.
"You are doubting yourself and you're now playing one of your biggest rivals. You are in a type of form that you don't want to be in when you play Liverpool - that's the problem.
"Of course, there's hope - there is always hope! Especially when it's a derby.
"Even though they have lost the previous two games, United still have to believe they can beat Liverpool on Sunday.
"Liverpool are the favourites on paper, based on the results, but in games like this, the hope is always there, as long as you don't make stupid mistakes."
Credit: Getty Mo ready for more
- Manchester United have the lowest shot conversion rate in the Premier League this season (7.4%), which is also their lowest on record in the competition (since 1997-98). Indeed, they also have the biggest negative difference (-7.7) between goals (18) and expected goals (25.7) in 2023-24.
- Mohamed Salah has scored 12 goals in 12 games against Manchester United for Liverpool; it’s the most goals he’s scored against an opponent for the club, and the most goals any Liverpool player has ever scored against the Red Devils.
- Mohamed Salah has either scored (17 goals) or assisted (4 assists) a goal in each of his last 16 Premier League games at Anfield for Liverpool. Alan Shearer holds the record with 18 matches from March 1995 to February 1996.
Dread Devils face huge task
The pre-match stats do not make pretty reading for United ahead of the trip to Anfield...
- Liverpool are unbeaten in their last seven Premier League home games against Manchester United (W4 D3), winning the last two by an aggregate score of 11-0. They last had a longer run without a league defeat at Anfield against them between 1970 and 1979 (9).
- Manchester United have failed to score in their last four Premier League away games against Liverpool. They last had a longer run without an away league goal against an opponent between 1969 and 1974 (6 vs Everton).
- Liverpool have won all seven of their Premier League games at Anfield this season, only in 2019-20 (first 17) have the Reds began a Premier League campaign with a longer home winning run. Liverpool are also averaging three goals per game at home in the league this term (21 goals), their most in a single season in the competition.
More from the boss
Asked if he felt under pressure to keep his job amid the recent struggles, Ten Hag added: "I'm focussing on the process, making the team better and that's my concern. That's what I'm focussing on, the right thing, and that's the team.
"There is no concern because I'm here to win and I have to make the team play better. Good is not good enough, we are inconsistent and I have to work on how the team will play.
"We will put out a team that can challenge and we'll prepare them in the best way we can. We are confident we can put out a team that can win.
"Last season was a bad experience. The first half we played very decent and we got hammered just after half-time, then we collapsed."
Team news for United
Erik ten Hag will be desperate for some of his key men to return for this momentous Premier League fixture.
The United gaffer is expected to be without Harry Maguire (groin), Amad Diallo (knee), Mason Mount (calf), Tyrell Malaica (knee), Christian Eriksen (leg), Casemiro (hamstring), Lisandro Martinez (foot), Victor Lindelof (knock) and Anthony Martial (muscle).
Bruno Fernandes is suspended after picking up five yellow cards this season while Jadon Sancho continues to be banished from the squad.
Marcus Rashford is expected to return after a bout of illness and Luke Shaw, who was forced off against Bayern, should also be back in the side.
Lights, camera, action
Kick-off under the lights at Anfield is at 4.30pm today.
It is the second game on Sky Sports' Super Sunday - after West Ham vs Wolves at 2pm.
But you can also follow all the action from Merseyside with our SunSport live blog this afternoon.
Erik ready to get hairdryer out
Erik ten Hag may turn on the hairdryer as his Manchester United flops step back into the Liverpool lion's den today.
United's boss admitted: "With almost every player, sometimes it's a kick in the a** and sometimes an arm around the shoulder.
"That makes a difference in your management... which approach are you taking?"
Last time out at Anfield
It is hard to forget what happened the last time United went to Anfield.
On March 5, 2023, the Red Devils were stuffed 7-0 by Jurgen Klopp's side.
Cody Gakpo broke the deadlock on 43 minutes before the Reds ran riot after the break with doubles from Darwin Nunez and Mo Salah plus another for Gakpo and one for Roberto Firmino to seal the rout.
Credit: Getty 
Credit: EPA
Huge day for United
It is arguably United's biggest match of the season - a trip to take on the arch-rivals Liverpool at Anfield.
But for many fans, they may opt to watch the game from behind the sofa as the two teams go into it in very different moods.
Liverpool are flying high and sit top of the table, a point clear of Arsenal.
United, meanwhile, are in seventh ten points behind the Reds and with 12 defeats from their 24 matches this season.
Hargreaves tips United to sign Solanke
Former Man Utd star Owen Hargreaves has tipped Man Utd to sign Dominic Solanke.
“I would take him at Manchester United, all day,” he told Metro.
“At Chelsea, he was the prized academy player. He went to Liverpool with that brilliant front three. That generational front three. He was never going to break into that.
“But I think he would have learnt and been mentored by Firmino, Mane and Salah. We saw it with Wilf (Zaha) when he went to Manchester United. He wasn’t ready. He was too young.
“I think now Solanke, he will get another big move. Whether it’s Man United or not. But to get a kid that big and technically that good, who is smart enough, can run the channels and press. He will get another chance at the top, I am certain.”
Inacio agenda
Goncalo Inacio is on Man Utd's agenda for January.
The Red Devils are hoping to steal a march on Premier League rivals by making a move for the centre half in January.
Inacio reportedly has a £51.5million transfer release clause.
According to Record, the Red Devils are considering making a move when the window opens.
Alaba blow
Man Utd were said to be plotting a move for David Alaba.
A move in the summer was potentially touted for a fee of around £51million.
However, the player has suffered a serious looking injury on Sunday evening against Villarreal.
It appears to be a very serious knee injury.
Tomori swoop
Man Utd are planning a move for Fikayo Tomori, according to reports.
Milan Web say the Red Devils' search for a centre back has taken them to Serie A.
And now the AC Milan ace has been added to their shopping list.
Tomori has worked his way into Gareth Southgate's England plans, but will command a big fee.
Merson's prediction
Paul Merson believes Liverpool will beat Manchester United 3-0 on Sunday and has predicted Erik ten Hag's men to be "ripped to shreds".
He told Sportskeeda: "People keep saying this is a big game, but is that really the case? I think this is my easiest call of the weekend – I expect Liverpool to win quite comfortably.
"Bruno Fernandes is suspended and the likes of Luke Shaw, Raphael Varane and Harry Maguire were substituted due to injuries against Bayern Munich, so it doesn’t look good for them.
"Let me say it like this – I’d be more shocked if Manchester United got a draw at Anfield than if Crystal Palace got a result against Manchester City.
"That’s how confident I am that Liverpool are winning this, as Erik ten Hag’s side are absolutely all over the place.
"They got a free swing against Bayern Munich but went out with a whip. Before that, they were absolutely slaughtered at home by Bournemouth and even if you look at the games they won, they just faltered over the line.
"I expect Liverpool to rip them to shreds, so I’m going for a 3-0 home win."
Modric interest
Man Utd's legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson tried to sign Luka Modric during his final few years at Old Trafford.
That is according to SunSport columnist Harry Redknapp, who revealed Ferguson was "calling about" Modric before his retirement in 2013.
Redknapp told SunSport: "I remember Fergie calling about Luka Modric and Paolo Di Canio, but for various reasons he couldn’t get the deals done."
Ashworth first choice for sporting director role
Newcastle have put Bournemouth’s transfer chief Richard Hughes on top of their hitlist
The Toon are braced for a call that will take their sporting director Dan Ashworth to Manchester United once the protracted buy-in by Sir Jim Ratcliffe takes place, SunSport can exclusive reveal.
Ashworth, 52, is first choice for the football supremo role should Ratcliffe and sidekick Sir Dave Brailsford finally take 25 per cent of Old Trafford.
The Red Devils could offer Ashworth a role that could convince him to quit Newcastle barely a year after joining.
Newcastle can place Ashworth on gardening leave for an extended period of time — as Brighton did when they lost him — but they would need a top replacement.
And Cherries technical director Hughes’ name is on the lips of many on Tyneside.
Ten Hag's top four hopes
Erik ten Hag believes Man Utd's elimination from European competition could help their top four chances, after suffering several injuries in this campagn.
"Yeah, I think the way you describe it, that's true," Ten Hag said of a possible benefit.
"We have had so many injuries in the first part of the season but now we have less games so the load will be less and that can give players the opportunity to recover. We will have more time on the training pitch and we can be fresher in the games.
"Of course [it can help]. That (top four)’s the target."
Martial latest
Anthony Martial is reportedly considering his options for January.
The Frenchman will be allowed to leave Man Utd when his contract expires in the summer.
And that news has alerted a number of Europe's top clubs.
According to FC Inter News, Inter Milan could make him a priority signing when the transfer window opens.