Peter Crouch admits he and Liverpool teammates "never really got on" with Man Utd rivals

Peter Crouch has lifted the lid on the intense rivalry he experienced while playing for Liverpool against Manchester United, recalling there was "such hatred" surrounding the match.

The former striker also admits he and his former teammates could never see eye to eye with their England colleagues who played for United - though he believes the intensity of the North-West derby has lessened over the years.

Liverpool and United are the two most successful teams in the country and their rivalry is considered one of the most fierce in football.

And Crouch maintains his games for Liverpool against the Red Devils were some of the most tense he played in.

Asked whether there was bad feeling between the two giants when they faced each other, Crouch wrote in the Daily Mail : "I’ve never played in a fixture that had such hatred around it, John.

"I was on the bench the day Gary Neville ran the length of the pitch to celebrate in front of Liverpool ’s fans in January 2006 and the depth of feeling in the stadium was incredible.

"It was the same at Anfield the following month when I scored to knock United out The FA Cup.

"It was never openly hostile in the tunnel but you could feel the tension as soon as you got to the stadium."

Crouch also discussed the strain of lining up for England with players who he and his Liverpool teammates shared such rivalry with at club level.

He added: "We knew the players from England, of course, and there was never anything but respect from Gary, Paul Scholes and Wayne Rooney to Stevie Gerrard, Carra and myself.

"You could never really get on with them, though. There is a picture of me going up for a challenge with Rio Ferdinand and I’ve got my fist clenched - it looks like I’m trying to lamp him!

"It was so intense and, as the years have gone by, I believe that intensity has faded from the fixture."

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