Liverpool vs Manchester United: Diehard United fan working at Anfield hides Red Devil memorabilia in new main stand roof
An old United shirt and two figurines of Rio Ferdinand and Ryan Giggs will overlook the pitch during clash
A MANCHESTER UNITED fanatic who worked on the new stand at Liverpool's Anfield stadium has taunted his hated rivals - by leaving a host of Red Devils memorabilia in the roof.
The diehard's prank means an old United shirt and two figurines - Rio Ferdinand and Ryan Giggs - will overlook the pitch when the two teams clash in the Premier League tonight.
The cheeky supporter's stunt came after he was part of the team that carried out the £100m expansion work to add a third tier to Anfield's main stand, boosting crowd capacity by about 8,500.
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He accessed the underside of the stand's roof and stuck the 'bobblehead'-style figurines to a steel support with an adhesive, with the shirt hanging nearby.
The United fan, who lives in Lancashire and wished to remain anonymous, said: "I was working with a load of Scousers and I thought this would be a good way to wind them up.
"It's all just a bit of good-natured banter. There's a lot of nasty things that get said between the two sets of supporters, but I'm not about that.
"The lads I worked with were great, but every time they tested the public address system, I had to listen to You'll Never Walk Alone.
"I thought I'd leave my own mark on the stadium and remind them who was the best.
"There were quite strict rules about football colours being worn by people working on the stadium, but one day I wore mine under my hi-vis and sneaked it up.
"I had little Giggsy and Rio collectables from a few years ago and they both scored at Anfield in the past so I thought it would be nice to give them a good view of the pitch."
The dad-of-four had been working at the stadium for six months, but saved his mischief until just before the stand was unveiled last month.
The two bitter enemies will meet in the redeveloped 54,074-capacity Anfield for the first time this evening.
The United fan, a 42-year-old former Old Trafford season ticket-holder, said: "I basically had to reach the bits that the scaffolding couldn't get to, working on cladding and pipes and things.
"Obviously I had to be a bit careful not to get caught but it's all just a bit of fun.
"I was working on the gable end nearest to the Kop, so the thought of the shirt and the two figures overlooking it makes me smile.
"I was born in 1974, the first year United were ever relegated, and where I went to school I was one of only two United fans.
"So this is a little bit of payback I suppose for getting the mick taken out of me when I was younger and United weren't very good. It's just a bit of craic.
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"The funny thing is, the very first song they played over the speakers to test them was Roll With It by Oasis, a Manchester band full of City fans.
"It was pretty surreal being 100ft high in your rivals' stadium. Everyone was aware I was a United fan and it was never an issue."