I had to leave Liverpool for Real Madrid – what the club did was awful

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The latest meeting between Liverpool and Real Madrid commences on Tuesday in the Champions League, with plenty of history between the two European giantsSteve McManaman admitted it was Liverpool's treatment of Roy Evans that first sparked his decision to leave the club for Real Madrid. The former winger first joined the Reds at 16 years of age before spending the first nine years of his professional career at Anfield.Starring as one of the league's best wingers during his time at the club, consistent silverware escaped McManaman in what was a transitional period for Liverpool during the 90s.Having gone trophy-less in the last four years of his career in Merseyside, it was the hierarchy's decision to make Roy Evans and Gerard Houllier joint-managers that spelled the beginning of the end for McManaman as a Red.READ MORE: Virgil van Dijk responds to Trent Alexander-Arnold Liverpool return - 'I'm not going to say'READ MORE: Trent Alexander-Arnold Real Madrid position questioned ahead of Liverpool reunion - 'He hasn't got'The coaching partnership lasted just four months as Evans resigned, leaving the Frenchman as sole boss - a role he held for six years until departing in 2004.

I didn’t associate my club with dealing with people like that."When they got rid of Evo, and the way they did it, I made up my mind then: ‘Right, I’m leaving.’ I told Gerard early on and he kept it quiet, all credit to him. I was playing really good football and I needed to test myself.

I felt that I needed to go."I wanted to go abroad, I didn’t want to play for somebody against Liverpool. I was playing good football and I had the right kind of clubs interested in me — Barcelona, Madrid and Juventus.