10 Man Utd Players Who Nearly Signed For Liverpool

5. Juan Mata

Quiet and unassuming, but possessing the touch, poise and class of a genius, Juan Mata is coolness personified. Despite a slow start to his Manchester United career by his own very high standards following a blockbuster move from Chelsea in January, he has still firmly established himself as something of a fan favourite. The 'rivalry' that exists between Chelsea and Manchester United remains very superficial, with the Blues only establishing themselves as a threat to the Red Devils a little over a decade ago. As a result, it wasn't hard for the Stretford End to forget about his Chelsea past, but had he gone through with mooted transfers to Anfield in the past, that would not have been so easily glossed over. With Manchester United having usurped Liverpool in their bid for Villa winger Ashley Young three years ago, Kenny Dalglish subsequently turned his attention to £20 million-rated Mata, then illuminating La Liga at Valencia. The Reds had previously held talks with the Spaniard's representatives in 2010, but Valencia had simply refused to sell following the recent stripping of their assets in David Villa and David Silva. But when the debt-ridden Spanish club alerted European clubs to the 23 year old winger's availability in 2011, Liverpool returned to the head of the queue. On this occasion, the Merseyside club lost out to the riches and lure of Champions League football on offer from Chelsea, with Valencia accepting a bid of £23.5 million. Undeterred, Liverpool would return for Mata's services two years later with an audacious, but ultimately futile, loan bid for Jose Mourinho's out-of-favour Spaniard.