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Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp jokingly claimed nobody cared about Manchester United legend Gary Neville coming up against his brother Phil Neville. The German boss was lauding the encounter between brothers Alexis and Kevin Mac Allister.
The Merseysiders' Alexis and Royale Union Saint-Gilloise's Kevin met in Group E of the Europa League on Thursday (October 5) night. Klopp's men ran out 2-0 winners but the game will be remembered for the two Argentine brothers squaring off.
Alexis started the game on the bench before being introduced at halftime to go up against his brother Kevin. The latter was brought off in the 86th minute and their father Carlos was at Anfield to watch his two sons in action.
Klopp talked about the event being a beautiful story and acknowledged it as the first time two brothers had competed against one another. He stated (via Centregoals):
"It was the first time that two brothers [Mac Allister] played against each other in world football, or that's how I felt.”
The Liverpool manager was then corrected by a reporter who highlighted the fact that Gary and Phil Neville faced one another for Manchester United and Everton respectively:
"It is not the first time at all. There are the Neville brothers.”
Klopp laughed before responding:
"Obviously no one was interested.”
Gary and Phil Neville played against each other five times during their careers. The former was on the winning side on three occasions while the latter won just once.
However, their brotherly rivalry wasn't held in such emotional regard as they'd also played alongside one another for Manchester United. The duo won the UEFA Champions League, six Premier League titles, and three FA Cups as part of the Red Devils team in the late 1990s to early 2000s.
Manchester United icon Gary Neville explains his hatred for Liverpool
Gary Neville was synonymous with the rivalry between Manchester United and Liverpool during the 2000s. The England legend was captain of the Red Devils for six years before retiring in 2011.
The iconic right-back played against the Merseysiders 26 times and was on the winning side on 13 occasions during his career. He enjoyed an illustrious career as one of the most decorated English players in history. He won 20 trophies, including eight Premier League titles.
Neville's success with Manchester United came after Liverpool's period of dominance during his childhood. The Anfield giants won 11 titles from the 1970s to 80s. It's that era that the Englishman's hatred for United's arch-rivals stems from. He said in 2010 (via The Guardian):
"I suppose it came from jealousy through my childhood – jealousy, hatred, passion for your own club. You don't want them [Liverpool] to win anything, and you don't like the people who are winning, just like I've seen in the last 15 or 16 years, from a good side, everybody is now 'we all hate Man United' – and they hate Man United because we are winning."
Liverpool have returned to the top of English football following Neville's retirement. They won the Premier League in 2019-20 ending a 30-year wait for first domestic league glory.
