Sir Alex Ferguson has recently stated that Liverpool captain and local hero Steven Gerrard was never a 'top, top player', but one can't help feel there was an element of sour grapes attached to that sentiment. Watching Gerrard flourish at bitter-rivals Liverpool can't have been a palatable pill to swallow, having seen the Huyton-born midfielder turn his back on the club following a trial at the age of 13.
''I went on trial at Manchester United when I was 13 and had a letter off them wanting to sign me on a seven-year-deal. I'm a huge fan of Alex Ferguson and what he's done in the game is fantastic - I was generally a little bit gutted when he said I wasn't a top, top player.'' - Steven Gerrard, November 2013.
The former England skipper has been a thorn in Ferguson's side many times over the years, and indeed, it came as no surprise when the Scot made a second attempt to lure him away from Anfield - this time as a more established player in 2002.
''We made a show of Gerrard in the transfer market, as did Chelsea, because the vibe was he wanted to move from Anfield. But there seemed to be some restraining influence from people outside the club and it reached a dead end.'' - Steven Gerrard, October 2013.
Shirts were burned, his name slandered to the high heavens and his family in danger of becoming social pariahs in their neighbourhood following his near-miss transfer to Stamford Bridge in 2005. Once can only imagine the extent of the public outcry and consternation that would have eschewed had Gerrard swapped the jersey of his boyhood club for that of a darker shade.
Recent Journalism & New Media graduate. Insatiable thirst for all things football, and hopes to break into the field of sports journalism in the near future.
Have made a significantly insignificant playing career out of receiving several slaps around the head for not passing the ball.
