Max Verstappen reveals Liverpool’s weakness, opens up on ‘sad’ Ruben Amorim Man United regrets

Max Verstappen may be a huge Manchester United fan, but he has a soft spot for Liverpool and is close to a number of Dutch players at Anfield.

Max Verstappen has revealed it was Dutch legends Manchester United who influenced his Premier League loyalties. The four-time Formula 1 world champion made the admission despite his friendships with Virgil van Dijk and Cody Gakpo.

“I just love the story of when Sir Alex Ferguson was the manager,” he shared with Mirror Sport. “Initially the Dutch connection with (Ruud) van Nistelrooy and (Robin) van Persie also came into play.

“You become a fan and you start to understand more about the club, how they achieved a lot of their success. It inspires me. I like it. I’m like, ‘Yeah, it’s really cool and it’s a cool club’. Of course, they went through a difficult time, but when I see them well, it makes me happy.”

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Verstappen praises Van Nistelrooy, a former United star and a brief but undefeated interim boss following the departure of Erik ten Hag. Despite being replaced by Ruben Amorim as manager, the runner-up expressed sadness at Van Nistelrooy’s departure from Old Trafford, but nevertheless expressed optimism about his future after a winning start as new manager of Leicester City, triumphing 3-1 against West Ham United on Tuesday.

Ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Verstappen shared his verdict on the latest events at United and Liverpool. Despite United’s back-to-back defeats to Arsenal and Nottingham Forest, Verstappen praised Amorim, saying: “It’s going to be a big task, but he’s an exciting manager. He’s still very young. I think he has a lot of potential , and I just hope he brings out the best in the players and in himself. I hope he takes the club back to the top.

Acknowledging Van Nistelrooy’s departure from his favorite club, Verstappen said: “Of course, naturally, I was a bit sad to see Van Nistelrooy leave the club completely. But then he got a big role at Leicester now, so I’m also very excited to see how he does.”

Despite being a committed United supporter, the F1 star spoke warmly of Liverpool, influenced by their strong Dutch presence, including Gakpo, Van Dijk and Gravenberch, as well as their manager Arne Slot. Verstappen revealed his cordial relations with the Anfield contingent: “I just like to stay in touch. Of course, I like to see the Dutch national team succeed.”

He concluded with a personal invitation he received, noting: “Virgil keeps inviting me to come to a game, and I definitely will. I’m not that idiot who hates another club. When I see Virgil playing or Cody, when they do well at Liverpool, that excites me too.

“When they’re leading the league, I’m like, ‘Yeah, it’s great’. They’re having an incredible season. It’s cool. I’m also a fan of Barcelona. It’s not like I hate Real Madrid. I’m a bit more of a Barcelona fan.”