Fergie won’t write off Liverpool

Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson insists he has no intention of writing off Liverpool ahead of Sunday’s Premier League clash despite the mounting crisis at Anfield.

Liverpool are on a terrible run of four straight defeats having lost away to Fiorentina in Europe followed by back-to-back league defeats against Chelsea and Sunderland before Lyon beat them at home on Tuesday.

The Reds’ woes have been compounded by the possibility that Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard could miss the United clash through injury, but Ferguson insists Rafa Benitez’s men will be as dangerous as ever and that their recent form will count for little in such a fiercely contested fixture.

United may have to play the game without England forward Wayne Rooney, who is still struggling with a calf injury, while Darren Fletcher is also a doubt.

Rooney will have to undergo a fitness test on Saturday to decide if he will be ready but Ferguson was not overly confident.

“Derby games are derby games and anyone can win it,” Ferguson said. “It has happened so many times and strange things can happen.

“I am not interested in their league form, I am more pleased with the kind of form we are in. We are consistent and consistent is important.

“I am more concerned about what we can do rather than them on Sunday.

“We go into it in decent form. There is confidence in our play but it is a derby game and anything can happen in derby games.

“Unfortunately Rooney is still a doubt and we will have to see today (Friday) and tomorrow (Saturday). If Wayne does train on Saturday then we will have a better idea.”

Ferguson also left little doubt as to who he considers United’s biggest rivals.

With Manchester City’s bank balance helping to transform them into genuine Premier League contenders in recent seasons, the notion in the north-west is that their rivalry with United is taking on greater significance.

However, Ferguson sees life differently, stating that Liverpool are – and will forever remain – his side’s main rivals.

“Manchester United and Liverpool games, as I have said many times, are massive games,” Ferguson said. “That will never change.

“In my 23 years it has never changed and it is still a massive game and the game as far as I am concerned. I think if you go to Anfield at any time it is a hard game.

“It is always a hard game for both teams and that will be no different on Sunday.”

United suffered the ignominy of losing twice to Liverpool last season, 2-1 at Anfield and a humiliating 4-1 at Old Trafford.

“We don’t have a point to prove, I don’t see that,” Ferguson said.

“Different games are shaped different by the circumstances of those games and you cannot look at last season as a barometer of our form or Liverpool’s form.”