"He said I wouldn't enjoy it" – Craig Bellamy says Manchester United legend tried to convince him to snub Liverpool

Former Liverpool attacker Craig Bellamy recently stated that Manchester United great Mark Hughes told him to reject a move to Anfield back in 2006.

Bellamy, who earned 78 international caps for Wales during his career, sealed a £6 million switch from Blackburn Rovers to the Reds ahead of the 2006-07 campaign. He registered nine goals and six assists in 42 games before being told that he was surplus to requirements.

Despite helping Liverpool reach the UEFA Champions League final, the Welshman fell out of favor with Rafa Benitez taking over. He was told that he would be sold after losing the 2007 final to AC Milan.

During a recent interaction on The Overlap, Craig Bellamy was asked to shed light on his initial Liverpool stint almost two decades back. He said:

"I had a Liverpool poster on my bedroom wall every single year. That poster you got from Toys R Us? Yeah, that was there. To get the privilege of being able to play for them was like: 'I have to do this', even though I was very happy at Blackburn at the time."

Revealing then Blackburn boss Hughes' advice to him, Bellamy added:

"I spoke to Mark Hughes who was not that happy for me – he said something that was very interesting; 'I know who you are, I know how they play and I know this is not a good move for you’. He said I wouldn't enjoy it. I really didn't – very rigid."

Bellamy, who also plied his trade for Newcastle United, joined West Ham United in a £7.5 million move in 2007. He also went on to represent Manchester City before returning to Anfield for the 2011-12 season.

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Liverpool great Graeme Souness urges Erik ten Hag to utilize Manchester United's Scott McTominay in same way as Scotland coach

In his column for the Daily Mail, Liverpool legend Graeme Souness claimed that he is keen to see Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay in a more advanced role.

Referencing the 26-year-old's disallowed free-kick in Scotland's 2-0 defeat to Spain last week, he wrote:

"McTominay had a cracking free-kick disallowed [against Spain] last week and Scotland had competed well to that point. And this takes me back to Manchester United. If I was Erik ten Hag, I would utilise him in the same way Steve Clarke does for Scotland."

Backing McTominay to be a Manchester United starter, Souness wrote:

"He's athletic, gets up and down and he has an eye for goal. He's scoring for fun and what an asset he has been for our national team. For me, he has gone from someone United were trying to push out the door, to a player who should be a regular going forward."

McTominay, who rose through Manchester United's youth ranks, has emerged as a crucial player for Scotland this year. He has scored six goals and laid out an assist in eight matches for his country in 2023.

As for his club, the box-to-box midfielder has scored thrice in eight matches across all competitions in the ongoing 2023-24 campaign.