Gary Neville & Jamie Carragher’s £5k Bet on Man United and Liverpool for 24/25

Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher, prior to the 2024/25 Premier League getting underway at Old Trafford for Manchester United’s opening day fixture against Fulham, placed a wager for £5,000 on whether Liverpool or the Red Devils would finish higher in the Premier League table. The two pundits are famous for having played for the two clubs during their careers and have spent a large portion of their time in football as major rivals.

After hanging their boots up, though, they’ve formed an unlikely friendship and their chemistry on television has made for some very entertaining moments. That rivalry is still at the forefront of their relationship, however, and the two shook hands and decided to place a bet. During their coverage of the Red Devils’ 1-0 victory over Fulham on 16 August 2024, in which Joshua Zirkzee scored the only goal of the affair, they revealed all about their wager.

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One of the Two Will Donate £5k to Charity

It all depends on which team has the better season

After United, then managed by Erik ten Hag, beat Fulham, the two defender-turned-pundits were analysing the game on the side of the pitch and revealed to Roy Keane that they had placed a bet before the season got started. The terms were simple: if Liverpool finished above Neville’s former side this season, the Mancunian would have to donate £5,000 to charity. Vice-versa, if the Red Devils finish above their rivals, it would be Carragher forking out £5,000 to a charitable cause.

It’s currently unclear which charity either man intends to donate to in the event they lose. But with the Reds finishing above their rivals last season, and in four of the last six seasons, Neville can be forgiven for feeling like the safe bet was to go in his favour come May 2025.

As things stand, Arne Slot is enjoying a near-perfect maiden season in charge of the Merseysiders. Such was the noise over his appointment, with him replacing the ever-loveable Jurgen Klopp, not many would have foreseen how well his side would have started under his regime. As such, Neville’s staggering prediction is now coming back to haunt him.

At the time of writing, Liverpool are nine points clear at the top of the table, followed by second-placed Arsenal, with their Champions League record also pristine. Elsewhere, the Greater Manchester-based outfit, now under Ruben Amorim’s management, are ninth. That said, they are currently just four points shy of boasting top four credentials.

Roy Keane Backed Neville To Win

Former midfielder also tipped United to finish above Liverpool

After revealing the terms of their bet, Keane was asked whether he thought Carragher or Neville would come out on top. While the former Republic of Ireland international refused to partake in any sort of deal, after a moment’s hesitation, he sided with his ex-teammate and revealed that he also thought the Old Trafford club would finish above Liverpool this season.

With Klopp’s nine-year reign coming to an end earlier this summer, the reign of Slot – and all manner of change – swept across Anfield in a huge transitional period, but the former Feyenoord helmsman has taken to life in England like a duck to water.

And despite their relative lack of movement in the summer transfer window, Slot inherited a side packed to the brim with talent and has the likes of Curtis Jones and Ryan Gravenberch purring in the engine room. Liverpool ran the risk of growing stagnant by returning to the Premier League with the exact same squad this season – but it’s paid off.

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Elsewhere, Manchester United have made some intelligent purchases, with the aforementioned Zirkzee, Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui just a handful of the names that the club higher-ups green-lit and are starting to find their groove under the fresh stewardship of Libson-born Amorim and his well-drilled entourage.