Liverpool great Robbie Fowler says the players should be burning going into today's clash at Manchester United.

Fowler wrote for the Mirror: "I know – more than anyone – how much it hurts watching Manchester United going for trophies while my team had no chance of honours.

"I had it enough times in my career with Liverpool and Manchester City.

"As a Scouser, I'm not ashamed to admit the pain of watching United ­seemingly win everything, while we got close... but never close enough.

"Which is why I'm hoping – knowing, in fact, because I know Jurgen Klopp's ­mentality – that every single Liverpool player has been hurting like hell this past week.

"Watching the Manchester clubs slug it out while they've been ­sitting at home with nothing to play for.

"It's been a huge week for City and United with two ­European semi-finals to be decided. And Liverpool? Even the Premier League's top four is out of their hands, no matter what they do.

"I've had that feeling. It's grim.

"But it must be even worse when you were on top of the world a year ago, and seemed invincible.

"Worse still that in the intervening year it's United who have emerged as City's biggest rivals."