Liverpool legend Mark Lawrenson is worried by how much Manchester United have improved ahead of their clash against the Reds at Old Trafford on Sunday and feels the change started when they beat Tottenham Hotspur in December.

Jose Mourinho has Manchester United on a run of nine consecutive wins as they start to look to break into the top four and push up the Premier League table.




Mourinho's men drew 0-0 at Anfield in October, the Portuguese setting out to stop Liverpool playing – but Lawrenson feels they are a different beast now, with the Red Devils boss using Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Michael Carrick and Paul Pogba effectively.

And the former Liverpool defender identified Manchester United's win over Tottenham as when it all changed.
 


"We need to start winning again and I think everybody knows it", Lawrenson said on LFC TV.

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"Manchester United currently are winning.

"I saw their game against Tottenham a few weeks ago, which I think was the start of their really good run, and it was when Mkhitaryan started and Carrick had come back into the team; different position for Pogba.

"Before that day I thought they were average and there was no way they would get in the top four.

"But now they are a completely different team", he added.

And Lawrenson expects a very different Manchester United from that which turned out at Anfield, which he concedes is worrying from a Red point of view.

"At Anfield it wasn't a great game.

"But they are now completely different, which is slightly worrying."

Liverpool have lost three of their last four visits to Old Trafford, but head into Sunday's fixture sitting five points better off than Manchester United in the Premier League.