Why the shirts of two Man Utd legends are permanently displayed in Liverpool's away dressing room at Anfield

The rivalry between Liverpool and Manchester United is one of the most fierce in the Premier League and yet, the shirts of two United legends are proudly displayed in Anfield.

The two clubs have been involved in a bitter rivalry for over a century, with their annual meetings considered one of the biggest fixtures in world football.

Of the 215 meetings between the pair, United have won the most games with 83 wins while Liverpool have been victorious 72 times with 60 draws.

So why do Liverpool display the shirts of two of United's most iconic players in Anfield's away changing room?

Both Roy Keane and Cristiano Ronaldo's shirts can be seen hanging from the walls of the changing room alongside the shirts of several other footballing greats.

And the reason that they United legends shirts are in the changing room is because former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher picked them as two of the greatest players he has ever faced.

While the home changing room displays the shirts of the current first team, on non-match days for stadium tours, Liverpool choose to hang the shirts of some of the biggest opposition names to play at Anfield.

Other big names that can be seen in the changing room are Lionel Messi, Thierry Henry, Gianluigi Buffon, Fabio Cannavaro and several others.

Carragher has previously been critical of Ronaldo, claiming that he is nowhere near the level of Messi, who he is often compared to as two of the greatest footballers of all time.

Jamie Carragher played against Cristiano Ronaldo several times in the Premier League. (Image: Getty)

But recently, while speaking to Football365, he discussed just how great the striker was: "Ronaldo became a great player at United.

“In his last two years he was the main man. But when he initially came in, United had so many great players that he wasn’t going to be one you built a team talk around. He never really gave us too many problems.

“It always fascinates me with Ronaldo – I would describe him as one of the greatest goalscorers of all time, but normally when other players fall into that category they’re goalscorers their whole life, from the first time they kick a ball. Ronaldo wasn’t. He almost made himself a goalscorer. That’s down to his work ethic and his mental strength. That, for me, has always been his biggest quality."