Liverpool meet Manchester United at Anfield, resuming the rivalry between the two most successful clubs in English football history. However, along the way, there have been plenty of shocking players to take to the pitch and not live up to the expectations of all those who saw them, before disappearing into obscurity, and quite often, never to be heard from again.
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Here is perhaps the best worst eleven made up with flops from either side:
GK- Massimo Taibi
Oddly, the Italian made his debut against Liverpool, and put in a man of the match performance. However, it soon became evident to be an anomaly, as a calamitous error against Southampton – where Matt Le Tissier’s tame shot trickled through his legs – and conceding five times at Chelsea, meant the goalkeeper quickly returned to his home country.
RB- Josemi
Rafa Benitez’s first signing at Anfield, Josemi enjoyed a brief run in the team, before a red card against Fulham saw his uninspiring spell in the side come to an end. He spent another eighteen months with the Reds, very much as a backup, before leaving for Villarreal.
CB- William Prunier
Probably only Manchester United – and possibly Tottenham – fans have the unfortunate honour of remembering the Frenchman. He made two appearances for Alex Ferguson’s side in the mid-nineties, the second of which was an embarrassing 4-1 loss to Spurs.
CB- Gabriel Paletta
The Argentinian defender joined the Rafa revolution in 2006, signing a four-year deal. But he only saw out one season at Anfield, before leaving for Boca Juniors, having only made three league appearances for the Reds.
LB- Djimi Traore
The Champions League winner makes it having scored probably the greatest own goal of all time against Burnley. It could be argued that it was only bit of skill he displayed throughout his seven year stay at Anfield.
RM- Andriy Voronin
Voronin joined Liverpool on a free transfer in 2007, but that does not justify his poor scoring record for someone who spent so long up front. He managed just five league goals in nearly thirty appearances. He spent some time at Hertha Berlin on loan, before a permanent move to Dynamo Moscow in 2010.
CM- Eric Djemba-Djemba
So good they named his twice. Not really. The midfielder moved to Old Trafford in 2003 for £3.5m, as Alex Ferguson looked for a long-term replacement for Roy Keane. However, Djemba-Djemba failed to live up to expectations, and was palmed off to Aston Villa two years later.
CM- Juan Sebastian Veron
Before his move to United, Veron was one of the best midfielders in the world, seemingly justifying why they spent nearly £30m on him. However, he never adapted to life in England, enjoying a fairly unsuccessful spell at Chelsea straight after.
LM- Bebe
Some may argue he’s more attacking than a midfielder, but it’s difficult to tell based on his spell in Manchester. Sir Alex spent £7m on the youngster and – with mistaken identity being the subject of the weekend – you can’t help but feel he meant to sign someone else instead.
ST- Erik Meijer
The striker joined Liverpool in 1999, and made twenty-seven appearances in the Premier League. However he was hardly prolific, scoring just two goals, before leaving for Preston North End.
ST- David Bellion
Signed for around £3m from Sunderland, the French striker never looked like he would become one of the greats at Old Trafford, scoring four league goals. He was soon sent on loan to West Ham, where he enjoyed a goalless spell.