- Man United legend hilariously tried to cancel Sunday trip to Anfield
- Snow in England had raised concerns that the match would not take place.
- LISTEN NOW: It's all starting! New line-up, some new faces, but optimism has faded at Old Trafford
Gary Neville went to great lengths to postpone Manchester United's match against Liverpool by jokingly shoveling snow on the Anfield pitch.
Neville's beloved United travel to Merseyside on Sunday afternoon looking for a shock result against Arne Slot's Premier League leaders, with the hosts preferring another demolition task from their arch-rivals.
However, there were concerns that the match would not go ahead due to the heavy snow that hit England over the weekend and left Anfield covered.
Officials carried out a security inspection at midday and the match was later given the green light to go ahead, but Neville, like many United fans, was evidently expecting a postponement.
United arrive at the home of their nemesis for the first time under new manager Ruben Amorim in the midst of a disastrous run that leaves the club 14th in the league table and Neville fears the worst for his former club.
While his Sky Sports co-host and Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher attempted to clear snow from the Anfield pitch on Sunday morning in a bid to ensure the match went ahead, Neville did the opposite.
Gary Neville (left) hilariously shoveled snow on the Anfield pitch while Jamie Carragher (right) cleared it ahead of Manchester United's huge clash against rivals Liverpool on Sunday.
Neville was jokingly doing his best to cancel United's trip to Anfield amid his former team's terrible form, fearing the Red Devils would lose to their bitter rivals.
Snow covered Anfield and Liverpool throughout Saturday night and Sunday morning.
Instead, the former United right-back shoveled the snow that Carragher had removed and returned it to the Anfield turf in a fun exchange between the pair.
The two continued the exchange for a few seconds and laughed as Neville's joking attempt to move the match to another day ultimately failed.
The 49-year-old later filmed a pitchside video confirming the game would go ahead as originally planned, much to the dismay of Neville himself, who fears United could be embarrassed by Liverpool.
“Well, here we are, there is some debate about whether the game will start or be suspended, but it's done and there is the Anfield pitch.
“Still a little snow, a little light drizzle, call it off, no play,” Neville joked.
Carragher later told Neville's spectators that the pitch was “playable” but former United full-back Patrice Evra pleaded with his former team-mate to put more snow on the grass.
Commenting on Neville's video, Evra joked: “Captain, can you put more snow so they can cancel it please?”, along with a collection of heart and laughter emojis.
Meanwhile, Liverpool confirmed the match would go ahead despite the adverse weather, posting on X: “Today's match against Manchester United will go ahead as planned.” Two safety meetings were held earlier to assess weather and travel conditions.
It was feared the match would be postponed to a later date before the snow cleared.
'We thank everyone involved in helping us make this game today. If you travel to Anfield, be very careful. We hope to see you there.'
Meanwhile, United manager Ruben Amorim explained Marcus Rashford's absence from the matchday squad ahead of Sunday's trip to Liverpool.
Rashford, 27, was dropped from four matchday squads by Amorim before returning to the bench for the 2-0 defeat against Newcastle in last year's final game, and was again absent for the visit to Anfield.
Speaking ahead of the match at Anfield, Amorim said: “Marcus Rashford is still ill so he is not available for today's match.”
