Edwin van der Sar: I turned down Liverpool move

The former goalkeeper became a fan favourite during his six years at Old Trafford following his transfer from Fulham in 2005.

The Dutchman won eight trophies with United, including four Premier league titles, two League Cups, the Champions League and the FIFA Club World Cup.

But he revealed that he had the chance to join United’s great rivals, Liverpool, in 1999. At the time, Van der Sar was playing for Ajax, where he also won four league titles and the Champions League.

The keeper spoke to both Liverpool and Juventus at the end of the 1998-99 season and decided that a move to the Serie A club was more appealing.

Van der Sar told FourFourTwo: “When I left Ajax in 1999, I travelled to Liverpool and spoke to (Liverpool manager Gerard) Houllier.

“I was shown around Anfield and also met with the chairman and a couple of the players.

“I thought about it, but when Juventus came to the table I came to the conclusion that it would be a bigger challenge to play in Italy.”