Man United should learn lessons from Liverpool’s demise, says Keown

Martin Keown believes Manchester United should learn lessons from Liverpool’s fall from grace in the early 1990s.

The Red Devils have made a poor start to life under Sir Alex Ferguson’s successor David Moyes as the defending champions suffered a shock 2-1 loss to West Bromwich Albion on Saturday.

United have now lost three of their opening six top-flight games, which amounts to the club’s worst start in 24 years and they face a battle to retain their Premier League crown.

Liverpool have gone a staggering 23 years since winning their 18th top-flight title as the Reds struggled to cope when club legend Kenny Dalglish stood down as manager in 1991.

And former Arsenal defender Keown reckons United must respond following Ferguson’s retirement or else face being permanently knocked off their perch.

“United will look across to Merseyside and realise the dominance Liverpool had in the Eighties disappeared when Kenny Dalglish left. Confidence can be brittle and can melt away,” Keown wrote in his Daily Mail column.

“Sir Alex’s history earned United a lot of points before matches started and there now has to be a determination from United players to prove they want to be part of a new future.

“Nobody wants to be part of the group that topples from the perch. They must stick together. It’s by no means terminal, but they’ve got the flu and need to get better.”