Arne Slot's four-word response to Sir Alex Ferguson over Liverpool title blast

There has been no message of congratulation from Sir Alex Ferguson. Not yet, anyway. Perhaps the former manager who delivered on his own burning ambition of knocking off their perch is waiting for the moment when puts the Merseysiders back alongside their biggest rivals.

It says a lot about the way Slot has gone about his business during his first season at Anfield that he needed an explanation as to why this 20th title will have an added touch of gravitas for supporters who have waited 35 years to see their team crowned champions in the flesh.

“What is the perch?” asked Slot when told about the comment which came to define Ferguson’s 27-year reign at Old Trafford. “Ah, okay. That would be nice.” Unlike his predecessor , the 46-year-old is a master of understatement.

There won't be any dramatic fist-pumps for the Kop and the cameras should the players Slot inherited from the German last summer claim the point they need from to be confirmed as champions.

Yet the squad that Klopp built was only able to deliver one during his nine-year tenure. Now they are on the threshold of finishing above , and the rest with five games left to play.

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Even so, Slot refuses to be his own cheerleader. “It is for other people to judge me,” said the Dutchman. “It would be a bit to judge myself. I can judge the performance for my staff and the medical staff - and they should get a lot of credit.

“We had our injuries, but that’s what every team has because you can’t go through this league without injuries because the schedule is too much. We were always able to perform at our standards in terms of physicality, so that is a very big compliment to the medical and performance staff. And the tactical staff is also part of that process.

“Maybe I will judge myself at the end of the season and see if I can do better. But to do it in public would just be a bit weird.” United have now gone 12 seasons without a title since Ferguson retired. Arsenal, who will probably finish second for a third successive season, haven’t been champions for 21 years.

Both clubs have attempted sustained and significant rebuilds in that time. Slot added: “The nice thing about football is that everyone can have an opinion. Because it (a rebuild) happened at Arsenal and at United everyone thinks that’s the only truth there is.

“Other managers have been successful in their first season. After at came Luis Enrique - and he won the treble as well. So it’s not impossible. It’s about the team you inherit. Was the United team at the end of a certain era?

“It’s so hard to compare things in football, never mind comparing things 10 years on when the Premier League has changed so much. The players have all had a very good season, worked very hard and surprised me in how much they want to do as a team to be as consistent as they are.”

Slot’s family and friends will be at Anfield, enjoying a trip that was planned weeks in advance because it’s a national holiday in Holland. Mum and dad, Jennie and Arend, will watch on TV back in Holland.

Slot’s father suggested to his son back in January that maybe the Reds could add a touch of excitement to an incredible consistency that has taken them 12 points clear. But while the Liverpool manager will enjoy the moment his team crosses the finishing line, there will be no histrionics.

Slot said: “I enjoyed it a lot when Feyenoord won the title - but I don’t go crazy. It wasn’t like I ran three times around the stadium. I was just very, very happy inside and I shared my emotions with the people around me and the fans. I will never be the one who is the loudest or the weirdest in the moment. I’m just not like that.”

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