I reckon it's rubbish, a consequence of fan Chinese whispers creating something that isn't true. There is no way that clubs would accept two away grounds which did not allow VAR.
It'll be being used as normal, and the screen isn't important for the VAR process (it's there to inform those in the ground).
When City played Liverpool, there were a couple of instances where Oliver made the usual VAR movements (hand to the ear, etc) - notwithstanding how well or what was applied.
Also at Old Trafford when Liverpool played there, there was definitely a long stoppage regarding whether a Liverpool player had been found.