Jurgen Klopp has said he hopes to knock Man United off their “f**king perch” ahead of the top two’s big showdown on Sunday.
The German coach was asked at the pre-match press conference if he expected to get the better of the club’s biggest rivals – United returned to the Premier League summit in mid-week after they overcame Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s limitations as a manager to pocket three points away at Burnley.
And the garrulous gaffer wasn’t afraid to issue a rallying cry for his team.
“Yes, we will put them right off their dinner,” the 53-year-old said, “or off their f**king perch supper, as Sir Alex Ferguson would say.”
After the perch metaphor was explained to the Liverpool boss – that it refers to a bird stand rather than a fish – Klopp confirmed that his side would also try to swat the Red Devils canary right off their wooden resting place as well.
“Yes, I think they’ll be as sick as a parakeet after Sunday, ” the Anfield head honcho quipped, before bursting into gales of raucous laughter that blew out the speakers of several phones and computers on the call.
But it wasn’t all jokes ahead of the huge game, with Klopp confirming his team has been doing it’s best to abide by the social distancing guidelines.
“We’ve stopped scoring goals in the league.
“No goals, no celebrations. Simple.”
And the manager has also had his team hard at work during team meetings as he runs through the tactical plan for the game.
“Yes, of course, I have the boys well drilled for Sunday – if things don’t go our way, they have all the excuses memorised.
“Injuries, Chris Wilder, United penalties, VAR, reporters silly questions – they’ve got them all learned off.
“We might even think of a few more before Sunday.”
Elsewhere, news out of Manchester suggests Paul Pogba’s agent Mino Raiola has had a flaming row with the inconsistent midfielder.
“Mino lost it with Paul, he told him he’s taking a huge risk in recent games – if he keeps playing this well United might want him to stay,” a source informs us.
His recent play may jeopardise his chances of finding an Italian club that can afford to take on his wages if he wants to leave United again.
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