‘I made up my mind then’ – Steve McManaman pinpoints the moment which triggered Liverpool exit | OneFootball

Steve McManaman has revealed which moment prompted him to leave Liverpool for Real Madrid on a free transfer in 1999.

The Bootle native came up through the academy ranks at Anfield to make 364 senior appearances for the Reds throughout the 1990s before his departure for the Bernabeu, which elicited a decidely mixed reaction among the fan base at the time.

McManaman on deciding to leave Liverpool

In an interview with The Athletic (in which he empathised with the current transfer predicament facing Trent Alexander-Arnold), the 53-year-old pointed to the botched co-managerial experiment of Roy Evans and the late Gerard Houllier at the start of the 1998/99 season as the tipping point for his career on Merseyside.

McManaman reflected: “It was clear to me from the moment that it was announced that it wasn’t going to work.

“My understanding was that we were looking for a first-team coach with new ideas to freshen things up. Then Gerard came in as joint manager. Once that happens and the other joint manager doesn’t know anything about it, the writing is on the wall.

“When we won a game it was because of Gerard’s new ideas and when we lost a game it was because of Evo. I thought it was awful. I adored Evo. I didn’t associate my club with dealing with people like that.

“When they got rid of Evo, and the way they did it, I made up my mind then: ‘Right, I’m leaving.’ I told Gerard early on and he kept it quiet, all credit to him. I had a good relationship with him. He lined up Vladimir Smicer as my replacement.”

Photo Credit: Clive Brunskill/Allsport

Co-manager experiment was a failed gamble by Liverpool

The decision to proceed with Evans and Houllier – two men with rather different backgrounds and perspectives – in joint-charge of Liverpool’s first team seemed quite surprising when it was announced, and the experiment didn’t last too long.

It took just three months for the Liverpudlian to resign and leave the Frenchman in sole charge, with a combination of ignominious defeats and paltry attendances at Anfield indicative of what a sorry state the Reds were in at the time.

McManaman came into an LFC team which were the reigning champions of England and boasted proven winners such as John Barnes, Ian Rush and Ronnie Whelan, with Kenny Dalglish a steady hand in the dugout.

By the time he left for Real Madrid eight-and-a-half years later, Liverpool had slumped to seventh in the Premier League and were forced to look on as Manchester United hoovered up trophies, with the failed Evans/Houllier experiment depicting the mess that the Anfield club had become.

Thankfully those roles have now been reversed, with Arne Slot’s side seemingly closing in on the top-flight title and among the favourites for the Champions League, all while their Mancunian rivals sit 14th in the table and without either of the domestic cups to salvage their season.