“There was too much rubbish going on” – Paul Ince reveals why Liverpool failed to replicate ‘successful mentality’ of Manchester United during his time at Anfield

Former Liverpool midfielder Paul Ince has reflected on his time at Anfield, revealing why the Reds couldn't thrive like Manchester United during his playing days. According to the Englishman, off-pitch drama and the lack of a successful mentality hindered the Merseysiders from shining like their Premier League rivals.

Ince, who played at Anfield between 1997 and 1999, represented Manchester United earlier in his career. He recently opened up about his reception at Anfield, having played for the Reds' arch-rivals previously:

"To go to Liverpool after being at United for years, there was a bit of trepidation," he explained during an interview with Genting Casino. "But they took me in as one of their own. The city’s like that, and the people are like that. I was just a Liverpool player, and they treated me like that. That’s why I still live in the north west, because they’re such wonderful people," Ince added.

Despite having incredible players like Steve McManaman, Robbie Fowler and Jamie Carragher, the Reds couldn't win any major trophy during Ince's stint at the club. The Englishman explained the reason for that, saying:

"We had a good team there, but we just didn’t have that successful mentality; there was too much rubbish going on off the pitch. There wasn’t the same focus that my United team had to win trophies and titles."

Apart from Liverpool and Manchester United, Ince also played for Serie A giants Inter Milan. Like the Reds, the Englishman has only fond memories of his time at the Italian club. He said:

"Inter was amazing, and probably the best experience I ever had as a player, going out there, learning the language and the lifestyle."

"The fans were amazing, and adored me. Even when I was bad on the pitch, they thought I was good. Everything about Inter was amazing. I didn’t want to leave, I came back for family reasons, so for me to leave was a big regret for me, probably the biggest regret of my career," the Englishman added.

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Paul Ince's numbers for Liverpool and Manchester United

The Englishman couldn't win any trophies at Anfield.

Paul Ince represented Manchester United for six years, between 1989 and 1995. During his time with the Red Devils, he made 214 appearances across competitions, recording 23 goals and 16 assists.

For the Reds, Ince played 81 games across competitions, finding the back of the net 17 times and setting up another 11. The Englishman retired from the game in July 2007, having won multiple trophies, including the Premier League, the FA Cup and the Carling Cup.