I'm a Liverpool cult hero – I was close to signing for Man Utd but move was too big for me

Former Liverpool defender Stephane Henchoz has confessed that he almost signed for Manchester United before becoming an Anfield hero.

Henchoz, who formed a formidable partnership with Sami Hyypia in the heart of Liverpool's defence after his 1999 switch, quickly won over the fans and racked up more than 200 appearances for the club. However, his time at Liverpool came to an end as injuries took their toll and, despite winning several trophies with Liverpool, then manager Rafael Benitez favoured Jamie Carragher in the Reds' defence.

However, Henchoz's career path could have looked markedly different. The ex-centre back has now admitted that, before joining Blackburn Rovers in 1997, he was given the opportunity to sign for United.

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Despite the attraction of United, Henchoz believed he would have found it tough to find game time at the Red Devils, reports the Mirror.

"It's 'true, I was close to signing for Manchester United in 1997," he said during the Ladbrokes' Gaffer of all Accas event. "When I was playing for Hamburg, and before I signed for Blackburn, I'd had two good seasons. I was 23, and Man United were looking for a centre-back, and that's when my name would've come up on their list.

"So yes, I could have had the opportunity to play for them, but for me, I thought that club was too big for me. I didn't want to go there, because I just couldn't see how I was going to get in ahead of their current options in my position."

At that time, United were impervious under Sir Alex Ferguson, and Henchoz would have had a young Wes Brown, David May, Ronny Johnson and Gary Pallister to compete