Gary Neville names the one Manchester Utd star who made him 'proud' in Liverpool defeat

Former Manchester United captain Gary Neville has praised the club’s youngster Hannibal Mejbri for his spirited cameo against Liverpool on Tuesday night.

United were thrashed 4-0 by Liverpool at Anfield, with goals from Luis Diaz, Mohamed Salah (two) and Sadio Mane ripping the Red Devils apart in what was another lacklustre performance from the away side.

Speaking on Sky Sports, Neville continually criticised the United players but found room to praise Mejbri who was subbed on late for his first Premier League appearance of the season.

Just minutes after coming on, the 19-year-old went into the book for a late challenge on Liverpool skipper Jordan Henderson, but rather than scold the attacking midfielder, Neville hailed Mejbri’s tenacity.

He said: ‘To be fair, at least the kid’s showing a bit of something. Honestly, it takes a young kid to come on and show the rest of them how to sprint to the ball and put a challenge in.

‘I’m actually proud of him. Maybe he doesn’t like the idea of Liverpool players passing round him. I wish the rest of them were the same.’

Already a full international with Tunisia, Mejbri joined United in 2019 and is one of several highly rated prospects at Old Trafford.

The Red Devils’ current crop of players didn’t deliver against the Reds however, with Neville’s fellow Sky Sports pundits blasting the team’s performance.

‘Under pressure Manchester United just couldn’t keep the ball. If you come to Anfield and want to have any chance of getting a result you have to be able to keep the ball and they just couldn’t do that,’ said former Liverpool midfielder Graeme Souness.

‘This is a truly fabulous Liverpool team, and they are on the brink of true greatness. There isn’t a Manchester United player that