Legendary Netherlands and Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar has revealed that he could have joined Liverpool at one juncture in his career.
Van der Sar has said that in 2001, when his time at Juventus was coming to an end, there were offers on the table from the Anfield club and Borussia Dortmund, but their dithering over a deal prompted him to instead move to Fulham.
After four successful years at Craven Cottage, he took another step up, moving to Manchester United, where he won four Premier League titles and a Champions League among other honours.
Van der Sar, who retired aged 40, admits that the Red Devils’ great rivals Liverpool missed out on the chance to sign him.
"I had two options and could have transferred to Liverpool or Dortmund," he told t-online, reflecting upon his 2001 transfer. "Both clubs hesitated a bit, so in the end I chose Fulham."
Meanwhile, the two-time Champions League winner had his say on the debate that has gripped German international football in recent months: whether Bayern Munich’s Manuel Neuer or Barcelona’s Marc-Andre ter Stegen should play in goal.
"I'm not the coach of the German national team, so fortunately I do not have to deal with this question," he said. "I do not know who to choose. But I can say this: they are both extremely good goalkeepers. The national coach will decide which of them will fit better into the system in the end."
Thus far, Joachim Low has plumped for Neuer over Ter Stegen, who was given his chance in the friendly draw with Argentina last week.
If Germany are on course to qualify for Euro 2020, at club level Bayern are seeking their first Champions League title since 2013.
Van der Sar, who is the Ajax managing director, believes that Bayern head coach Niko Kovac has his work cut out for him.
"It will be difficult to win the Champions League," he said of the Bavarians’ chances. "We experienced that last year with Ajax and there are a lot of good teams competing in this competition.
"But, of course, they will always belong to the extended circle of favourites. Who will win the tournament in the end? I have no idea."