Report: Liverpool left furious by what Gary Neville said recently, considered making him publicly apologise

Gary Neville does not hold as strong a connection with Liverpool as his Sky Sports colleague Jamie Carragher does – not by any means.

The 49-year-old’s status as a Manchester United legend, having made 598 appearances for Liverpool’s bitter rivals, does not exactly endear him to those on Merseyside.

Nevertheless, Liverpool currently have bragging rights out on the pitch, sitting top of the Premier League while his beloved Manchester United languish 13th.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	LiverpoolLiverpool	10	8	1	1	19	6	13	25

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
13	Man UtdManchester United	10	3	3	4	9	12	-3	12

Now – however – Gary Neville has irked Liverpool after making a comment about Arne Slot.

Liverpool upset by Gary Neville claiming Arne Slot was third choice

The man from Bury recently stated live on air that Liverpool only hired the Dutchman because they were unable to appoint Xabi Alonso or Ruben Amorim beforehand.

Liverpool are adamant that Slot was the only coach offered the chance to replace Jurgen Klopp, and – according to the Telegraph – were so irritated by Neville’s comment, those at Anfield considered making the Sky Sports pundit publicly retract that statement.

It is – however – stated by the Telegraph that Richard Hughes, Director of Football at Liverpool, made an enquiry about Alonso to the Spaniard’s agent, Inaki Ibanez, who he knew well having negotiated Andoni Iraola’s arrival during his time at Bournemouth, before being lured to Anfield by Michael Edwards during the summer of 2024.

Liverpool fans set to see what Xabi Alonso can do at Anfield

Alonso will be in the dugout at Anfield on Tuesday night, but not in the way many Liverpool fans perhaps expected, as the 42-year-old leads his Bayer Leverkusen side out in the UEFA Champions League.

It will be fascinating to see what Slot can achieve up against the Spaniard, who made headlines last season after coming within 90 minutes of guiding Bayer Leverkusen to an unbeaten treble, but for a 3-0 defeat against Atalanta in the UEFA Europa League.

Alonso seemed destined to replace Klopp at one stage, but for now, Slot is doing a remarkable job, overseeing 13 wins and a draw from 15 outings this season while playing a beautiful style of football.