Jamie Carragher claims 'paranoid' Man City once denied him an interview because he wears 'red pom poms'

Jamie Carragher has accused Manchester City of "paranoia" and claims he was once denied an interview with David Silva because of his strong links to Premier League rivals Liverpool.

Following their 1-0 defeat at Anfield on Sunday, it emerged that senior figures at City had accused Reds boss Jurgen Klopp of "borderline xenophobia" over comments he made in the build-up to the match.

Klopp had claimed that Liverpool are unable to match the spending of three Gulf-owned clubs; City, Newcastle and Paris Saint-Germain.

Klopp has strongly refuted claims his quotes were xenophobic, with Liverpool reportedly launching a "legal complaint" over the accusation.

Former Liverpool defender Carragher says he agrees with Klopp and has questioned why City appear to be so defensive about their financial might.

"I have written on many occasions that money is no guarantee of success. Manchester United are proof of that since Sir Alex Ferguson retired," Carragher wrote in his column for The Telegraph.

"But it is guaranteed you will not be successful without lots of money, and the more you have the better your chances. Is that really a controversial statement?

"Despite regular jibes about Chelsea's rubles, there was never a feeling that their players, fans or executives gave a damn. Quite the opposite. Chelsea stood tall, broadened their shoulders and basically said, 'Yes. We've got all this money now. It's our time. So what?'"

Carragher added: "Everyone would like a life-changing sum of money. And yes, I mean life-changing because the success of the football teams in cities like Newcastle and Manchester does impact upon lives.

Carragher has accused Cit of being 'paranoid' (Image: Alamy)

"But let's not be so foolish to believe that if Newcastle achieve the same levels of success the legitimate questions will disappear. Newcastle, like City, knew what they were signing up to and must deal with the fall-out without trying to rewrite history."

Sky Sports pundit Carragher went on to accuse City of "paranoia", revealing an incident when the Premier League champions had refused him an interview with their former midfielder Silva.

"Over the years I have used my platform on Sky Sports and in this column to show my respect for City managers and players. As recently as last week I wrote [Kevin] De Bruyne could be the Premier League's greatest midfielder, and said [Erling] Haaland terrifies defenders,” said Carragher.

Carragher claims City denied him an interview with David Silva because of his links to Liverpool (Image: Alamy)

"Prior to David Silva's City departure I wrote how he was one of my favourite ever Premier League players. I wanted to interview Silva before he left English football, well aware of City's belief that their rivals receive more favourable media coverage.

"When told of my request, City's response was they would grant no such interview to me because 'I wear red pom poms'. Every ex-player in the media wants their team to win but no other club has reacted to me in this way."

Carragher added: "Manchester City have the best manager in the world, the best striker in the world and are the best team in the world.

"It is a shame that, despite all the silverware, they have a tin ear for such compliments."