Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers has praised the work Manchester United counterpart Louis van Gaal has done since he arrived at Old Trafford.

The Dutchman endured a difficult start to his career in England after failing to pick up a victory in any of his first four matches in charge of the Red Devils, a run that included a 4-0 humbling at the hands of League One side MK Dons in the Capital One Cup.

However, the 63-year-old has managed to improve results at Old Trafford with the Red Devils having lost only twice in their last 19 Premier League matches.

That run included a 3-0 victory over Liverpool in December which helped move the United into the Premier League top four ahead of the return fixture at Anfield on Sunday.

The Red Devils hold a two-point advantage over Rodgers’ side going into the match and the Reds boss believes Van Gaal has adapted well.

He said: “Even he would say that coming into the Premier League is different to where he’s worked before.

“The competition in this country is far greater. He’s shown over his career that he’s a top-class manager. He’ll have seen coming into this country for the first time, the challenges of football here.”

The former Swansea boss believes his side will face a tough test against Van Gaal’s men and feels that the Dutchman could go down as a United great when he finally leaves Old Trafford.

Rodgers added: “I don’t think you can argue about his credentials. He’s put philosophies in place at Ajax, Barcelona and AZ. If he ever leaves United, he’ll still have been one of the great managers.”

Liverpool are slight favourites to secure victory on Sunday at 2.09 with United on offer at 3.55. The draw is available at 3.23.