'I hate going back to Liverpool after leaving and joining Man Utd - it makes me feel sick'

'I hate going back to Liverpool after leaving and joining Man Utd – it makes me feel sick'

Michael Owen has admitted that he felt like he was "punching his brother" every time he played against Liverpool for Manchester United.

The now 45-year-old had an impressive footballing career between 1996 and 2013, initially breaking through the youth ranks of Liverpool before spending a glorious eight years at Anfield. Racking up 158 goals and 49 assists in 297 appearances, Owen won an FA Cup, two League Cups, a Charity Shield, a UEFA Cup and a UEFA Super Cup with the Reds before signing for Real Madrid in 2004.

His stint with Los Blancos was incredibly short-lived, however, spending just a single year in the Spanish capital before returning to the Premier League donning the black and white of Newcastle United. After four years on Tyneside, Owen returned to the north west, this time sporting a different shade of red after signing for previous rivals United in 2009.

And while Owen says that he is "fine" in the eyes of supporters of both United and Liverpool, he has also noted that he was left feeling nauseous every time he represented the Red Devils against his former side. Speaking to the Daily Mail in 2021, Owen explained: "Well, I’m absolutely fine at both.

"I’m respected at Man United; the derby winner, Champions League hat-trick, goal in a cup final. It’s not like I’m one of their own, we know that, but there’s mutual respect and good memories. But when I go through the doors at Liverpool, it’s in my heart. I hated going back as a player. It felt like I was punching my brother. Being booed, I felt sick."

He continued: "It rarely happens now, the odd voice might shout, 'you Manc', but I can put it in a box. It doesn’t stop me thinking I would love to have the legacy of Carra [Jamie Carragher] or Stevie [Steven Gerrard]. They [Liverpool] won the Champions League the season I left.

"I wanted my mates to win, absolutely, but part of me was gutted, 'God, that could have been me'. I have to accept that. It was my decision to leave."

Owen lifted the Premier League, as well as another FA Cup and League Cup a-piece, before parting ways with the Old Trafford elite in 2012, spending a single season at Stoke before retiring in 2013 and moving into the world of punditry. He also enjoyed a stellar 10-year international career with England between 1998 and 2008, scoring 40 goals in 89 appearances despite failing to lift a trophy with the nation.

Image: Getty Images) Getty Images)

Owen will undoubtedly have his gaze fixed upon Liverpool's reverse Premier League fixture with Manchester United later today (January 5).

The Merseysiders humbled the Red Devils with a 3-0 thrashing at Old Trafford in their initial meeting of the 2024/25 campaign in September – Luis Diaz scoring a brace before Mohamed Salah saw the game off. And Arne Slot will hope for more of the same as his side welcomes their fierce rivals to Anfield.

Liverpool currently sit atop the Premier League table on 45 points with a game in hand on second-place Arsenal, with an impressive record of 14 wins, three draws and just a single shock loss to Nottingham Forest to show for their efforts this season thus far.

United, meanwhile, languish in the lower half of the Premier League table at present, with new boss Ruben Amorim failing to turn the tide since stepping in as Erik ten Hag's replacement in November.

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