Ryan Giggs Liverpool remark continues to haunt him as Man Utd struggles

Being a Liverpool fan on social media can be an exhausting experience. There’s the constant snipes, jibes and conspiracy theories from rival fans, directed at the Reds for having the temerity to be… well, just successful.

Curiously enough, Manchester United fans don’t appear to get too involved in all of that these days. We can’t imagine why.

But Liverpool’s biggest rivals are never too far from mind, and if you’ve spent more than a few minutes online in recent times, then no doubt you will have come across a screenshot from an infamous interview with one of those former United stars who was a regular source of misery for the Reds for years.

'Giggs: We would never collapse like Liverpool' is the headline that adorns The Mirror’s story from back in January 2011. The irony of those words has certainly not been lost on Reds supporters in the subsequent years.

Back then of course, both clubs were in very different positions. United was still the dominant force in English soccer, while Liverpool at that time was under the control of Tom Hicks and George Gillett, with Roy Hodgson at the helm as manager. If you can’t remember why that was such a torrid time at Anfield, count yourself lucky.

It’s no surprise then that, heading into an FA Cup third-round meeting between the two sides, Giggs was feeling a little bullish as he compared the clubs.

"Our manager is not always looking just for this season," said Giggs. "He buys players with a view to the future, which he's done more and more over the last few years.

"He's bought players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Anderson and Nani - all young players who have got the ability to go on and be better, and all of whom have done that.

"Now we've got the next batch, the likes of Javier Hernandez, Rafael and Fabio Da Silva, Gabriel Obertan and Chris Smalling, all young players who will hopefully get better over the next few years.

"The manager is experienced enough to know that we'll be challenging for the league this season and long after that because of the nucleus of the squad we have, as well as adding fresh blood, which gives everyone a lift."

You’ll no doubt already be developing a slight smirk if you’re a Liverpool fan reading those comments, but Giggs wasn’t done there as he turned his attention to United’s rival.

"Liverpool are a big club but they've obviously had massive problems off the pitch,” he added. “They've had a new manager this season and new owners, and they haven't got off to the start they'd wished.

"But they have got quality players in their team, and when you've got that, you've always got a chance. Losing is like winning, in that it can become a habit.

"Once you start losing, the luck doesn't seem to go for you. Whereas if you're winning, it does seem to go for you. If you're not doing too well and your league form isn't what it should be, which is the case with Liverpool, the FA Cup is always a release."

United would go on to win that particular FA Cup tie, and Giggs and his teammates would go on to lift a 19th league title later that season. Liverpool, meanwhile, would finish sixth and without any kind of silverware, and at that moment in time, it was hard to imagine how the gap between the two clubs could get any bigger.

Well, since then, it has - only not in the way Giggs would have envisioned.

United would go on to win a 20th title in 2013, but following the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson, the two clubs have endured contrasting fortunes.

Now, Liverpool has drawn back level with its great rival after last season’s title triumph, having also been crowned champions five years earlier, while United is a shadow of the club Ferguson left behind.

Having finished an embarrassing 15th last season, there is little sign of any improvement at this early stage of the current campaign. They lie 14th, having already lost three of their six league games so far, and have already been knocked out of the Carabao Cup at the hands of League Two side Grimsby Town.

Having been in charge at Old Trafford for less than a year, already it looks as though Ruben Amorim’s time might be up. The former Sporting CP boss, who was heavily linked with taking over from Jurgen Klopp at Anfield, has overseen a period of truly dire performances, with his side’s points return more akin to a team destined for relegation rather than the title.

It’s a collapse that far outweighs any situation Liverpool ever found itself in during the 30 years the club spent without a league crown - even in those dark days when Giggs and co were no doubt looking on and laughing.

The shoe is firmly on the other foot now, and no doubt Liverpool fans can’t get enough of seeing that infamous headline - one which Giggs likely wishes had never been published now.