John Arne Riise has said that he would prefer to play for Jurgen Klopp than the current version of Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho.
While Liverpool are currently top of the Premier League, United visit Anfield on Sunday 16 points behind their rivals facing an uphill battle to secure a top-four spot.
Riise played for Liverpool during the height of the club’s rivalry with Chelsea when Mourinho delivered back-to-back league titles, but feels the Portuguese manager has changed for the worse.
“I think Mourinho is different now to some years ago,” Riise said, speaking to promote his new autobiography, ‘Running Man.’
“You mentioned him [talking negatively] in public about certain players. It’s something that is weird and strange. But he might have his reasons for doing it.
“I don’t think people should question Mourinho and his tactics, but it looks weird from the outside.
“I would rather play for Klopp at this time than Mourinho [because] of how they are as a manager. But I think the results speak for themselves also. Mourinho is a great manager, but I’m more on the Klopp side.
“I used to be, and still am, a big fan of Mourinho because of how he set up his team when he came to Chelsea and how they played their football.
“I have no problem admitting that I think Mourinho is brilliant, even though I played for Liverpool and Rafa [Benitez] was somebody else. I personally love football and have no problem saying certain things about other teams or coaches. Mourinho, I think, was brilliant.”
Riise played in 16 encounters between Liverpool and United during his seven-season stay at Anfield.
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