Edwin van der Sar claims he could have joined Liverpool

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Former Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar has made a claim that he could have joined Liverpool before eventually signing for the Red Devils.

The legendary Dutch goalkeeper has been speaking ahead of the team’s Premier League clash on Sunday, where the Reds – who have a perfect eight wins from eight games – will be looking to heap more misery on United, who sit a disappointing 12th.

van der Sar spent six seasons at Old Trafford and won four titles, but has suggested his career could have panned out very differently.

In 2001, then-Reds manager Gerard Houllier supposedly wanted a replacement for Sander Westerveld, and van der Sar was on the Frenchman’s radar.

In an interview with t-online, the 48-year-old said: “I had two options and could have transferred to Liverpool or Dortmund.

“Both clubs hesitated a bit, so in the end I chose Fulham.”

van der Sar then proceeded to join Fulham in a shock £7 million move (BBC Sport), where he spent four seasons before signing for Manchester United.

TBR’s view

It is an interesting claim from van der Sar who, as everyone knows, went on to become one of the very best goalkeepers the Premier League has seen.

Who knows if he would have aided the Reds to a first Premier League title, although fans of today would surely doubt that. That said, van der Sar was 30 and already vastly experienced when he joined Fulham and was fantastic at Craven Cottage.

Liverpool ended up signing Jerzy Dudek and Chris Kirkland instead, with Dudek developing into a cult hero during his time at the club – his heroics in the 2005 Champions League final against AC Milan will certainly never be forgotten.