Rafa Benitez admits he almost stayed at Newcastle United as he is asked who will win on Sunday - Liverpool or Newcastle

There will be a fair amount of former players and managers with split loyalties on Sunday as Liverpool and Newcastle United duke it out for the Carabao Cup trophy at Wembley.

The two clubs have shared some big names over the years such as Kevin Keegan, James Milner, Kenny Dalglish and ... Michael Owen?

One of the more recent people to find themselves on the fence is, of course, Rafa Benitez. The Spanish manager had spells in the dugout at both clubs and became universally loved by both sets of fans.

But where will the Spaniard's loyalties lie on Sunday as his two former clubs meet?

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Rafa Benitez gets severe splinters when asked who will win on Sunday

Benitez did very well to dodge the question when asked by The Chronicle, but Benitez acknowledged Newcastle's progress since the takeover.

"It's been so many years. It's been a sleeping giant. It was a pity that they could not be at the level that the fans deserved, but now they are there so I'm really pleased for them, for sure.

"In modern football, when you have some money and you can invest, you can improve. You have to compete with clubs with a lot of money and if you can't get the best players, it's very difficult to have a chance to win a trophy.

"But Newcastle United have improved a lot in terms of ownership, investment and staff in the last few years so everyone is doing a good job and the fans are delighted. I think they deserve to win but I cannot say, 'They must do it!' because then the Liverpool fans will be like, 'Oh, Rafa!' So I'm happy to see both teams there."

Rafa Benitez wanted to stay on at Newcastle United but felt he had no choice but to leave

Meanwhile, Rafa also spoke about the end of his tenure at Newcastle United and how he was close to staying on, but when the takeover stalled and it was clear that Mike Ashley wasn't going to invest into the club any more, he was left with no choice but to leave.

"I was very close to staying. But, with the situation when I was leaving, Mike Ashley was not selling at this time and we could not wait. It was not a proper project at this time because there was not any intention to invest, to improve things, so we had to do it.

"The timing was a pity, but it was what it was. I couldn't wait because it was very clear he had no intention to invest and to improve so we couldn't be waiting and waiting."

Then, in came Steve Bruce, and the rest is misery until October 2021 and the club hasn't looked back. Fans were actually keen to see the owners return for Rafa Benitez before Eddie Howe was appointed, but I think we can all agree that things have worked out pretty well as is.