Ian Rush is known as Liverpool’s greatest goalscorer, but there was a time when Sir Alex Ferguson tried to sign him for Manchester United.
There have been 10 players in the past who played for both eternal rivals Manchester United and Liverpool.
That list of players includes Paul Ince, Michael Owen and Peter Beardsley.
However, when it comes to rivalries, there isn’t a bigger fixture in the English football calendar than the North West derby.
That meant players faced extra scrutiny when they would join a rival, like Ince did by signing for Liverpool from Inter Milan in 1997. The self-proclaimed ‘Guvnor’ was a fantastic player, but his move to Anfield tarnished his reputation among United fans.
Other great players, who played for United or Liverpool, have turned down moves to the other side for multiple reasons. One of them was Liverpool’s record goalscorer Ian Rush.
Sir Alex Ferguson wanted to sign Ian Rush for Man Utd
United will travel to Anfield for the 100th time on Sunday, and they are looking for their first win at the stadium since 2016, when Wayne Rooney scored the only goal in a 1-0 win for Sir Alex Ferguson’s side.
It’s a rivalry that has a lot of history, prompting highs and lows for either fan base, with bragging rights always up for grabs.
However, Ferguson wanted to sign former Wales international Rush in 1988, before he returned to Liverpool from Juventus.
Rush has been speaking about his return to Liverpool on a recent podcast, revealing what he told Ferguson on the phone when he tried to sign him from Juventus.
“I was just at home one night and I got a phone call and it was Alex Ferguson from Man United,” Rush told The Red Men TV.
“He says, ‘I want you to sign for Manchester United.’ I said, ‘I’m not for sale.’ He said, ‘Yes, you are.’ So I put the phone down.
“And about honest within 15 minutes, I get a call from Colin Harvey, who’s manager of Everton. So Colin Harvey gets up, he says, ‘You’re an Everton supporter as a kid, and I want you to come back to Everton.’ I said, ‘I’m not for sale’. He said, ‘You are.’
“So, 10 minutes after that, Souness rang me up. He’s at Rangers and he said, ‘I want you to sign for Rangers. I want you to be the Catholic that come to Rangers’ and all that. And I said I said ‘I’m not for sale’. He said ‘Yes, you are.’ Then I realised I was for sale.”
Rush added: “Then about 9:00 at night, I get a phone call. It’s Kenny. He said, ‘Listen, you’re coming signing for you’re signing for Liverpool.’ He said, ‘I’ve got you on the flight. I’m going to meet you at Manchester airport and you’re signing for Liverpool.’ I said, ‘Okay.’ Then I came back.”
After two separate spells at Anfield, Rush made 660 appearances and scored 346 goals. He won five league titles, two European Cups and the FA Cup on three occasions.
Ian Rush’s record against Manchester United
Despite being Liverpool’s all-time leading goalscorer, Rush had a low scoring record against United.
Rush made 32 appearances against United and scored just three goals.
The goals came in the following fixtures:
April 26, 1992: Liverpool 2-0 Manchester United (First Division)
October 18, 1992: Manchester United 2-2 Liverpool (Premier League)
March 6, 1993: Liverpool 1-2 Manchester United (Premier League)
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