Erik Ten Hag faces stern test as Manchester United take on Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool in pre-season clash

Football powerhouses Liverpool and Manchester United kick off their preparations for the upcoming Premier League season with a high-profile friendly in Bangkok, Thailand. The two old rivals find themselves on opposite ends of the spectrum, while Liverpool are aiming for sustained success, United are hoping for stability.

Liverpool took the quadruple bid down to the last day of the season but it ended in disappointment as Manchester City won the Premier League by a point.Further disappointment came on the last day of the season as Thibaut Courtois single-handedly won the Champions League for Real Madrid in Paris.

But the triumphs against Chelsea in the league cup and FA cup finals ensured silverware and further established Liverpool’s place in the line-up of continental royalty.

"We brought in new players, we've got fresh blood, which is really helpful, there are no places already sorted, who will play where so the boys will make pressure which is important, we have five subs (substitutions) from now on in the Premier League as well, we have to get used to that, we have to adapt and all these kind of things so I'm really looking forward to it. there are no guarantees in football but there's good, there's a good chance that we will play another good season," said Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.

There have been high-profile departures at Liverpool this summer with Sadio Mane joining Bayern Munich, leaving as a bonafide club legend following six immensely successful years under Klopp. Liverpool’s famed front three meant both Divock Origi and Takumi Minamino didn’t get the game time they deserved but both forwards contributed immensely to Klopp’s revival of the fallen giants before leaving this summer.

The club have been busy in the transfer window, splashing out a record sum of money on Uruguayan forward Darwin Nunez who is expected to get the first taste of action against United at Bangkok’s Rajamangala Stadium on Tuesday. But the big splash was to get Mohamed Salah to commit to another three years. The Egyptian king has earned his spurs as one of the best players on the planet and will be a red till the end of the 2025 season.

He hasn’t had a minute of pre-season training but has arrived in Bangkok to link up with his squad. "I saw today, in the plane, a squad full of quality. and you always need a little bit of luck, how we all go if we want to win a trophy. but to play a good season, you need, first of all was consistency and that's what it's all about. that's what we'll try and I have no doubt about the quality of the boys," said Klopp on Liverpool's chances of continuing their winning spree next season.

Klopp has no doubts but Erik Ten Hag is still trying to come to grips with the shambles of a once-mighty team. Manchester United haven't won the Premier League title since Alex Ferguson’s retirement and they have gone through a series of managers without remotely approaching the level of success that supporters crave. Ten Hag has been tasked with a new rebuild but he is already having to deal with a huge problem.

Cristiano Ronaldo wants out and hasn’t travelled to Bangkok. He is likely to miss United's pre-season which the club says is due to personal issues but reports have confirmed the Portuguese forward has made up his mind about leaving the club next season.

United finished sixth in the Premier League last season to confirm a berth in the Europa League but the clubwas closer to mid-table mediocrity than the battle for a top 4 berth and now it’s a baptism by fire for Ten Hag in his first game in charge against Liverpool.