Man United legend Edwin van der Sar rejected Liverpool

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Goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar rejected the chance to join Liverpool in 1999
He was at Ajax and opted to sign for Juventus instead of a move to Merseyside
Van der Sar later moved to Liverpool's rivals Manchester United in 2005
The Dutchman became an Old Trafford legend, winning eight major trophies
READ: Liverpool vs Manchester United betting tips ahead of Saturday's clash

Published: 08:06 EDT, 13 October 2017 | Updated: 11:06 EDT, 13 October 2017

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Edwin van der Sar established himself as a Manchester United legend during six trophy-laden years at Old Trafford but it could have been very different.

The Dutch goalkeeper - who won four Premier League titles and two League Cups, plus the Champions League and FIFA Club World Cup with United between 2005 and 2011 - had the chance to join bitter rivals Liverpool in 1999.

At the time, Van der Sar was at Ajax, with whom he also won four domestic titles and one Champions League.

Edwin van der Sar is a Man United icon, having won eight major trophies as their goalkeeper

But he could have joined rivals Liverpool in 1999 after talking to then-manager Gerard Houllier

Liverpool and Juventus had recently finished seventh in their respective leagues and, after speaking to both clubs, Van der Sar decided that a move to Italy was more appealing.

Van der Sar told FourFourTwo: 'When I left Ajax in 1999, I travelled to Liverpool and spoke to (Liverpool manager Gerard) Houllier.

'I was shown around Anfield and also met with the chairman and a couple of the players.

'I thought about it, but when Juventus came to the table I came to the conclusion that it would be a bigger challenge to play in Italy.'

Dutchman Van der Sar rejected Liverpool, though, in favour of a move to Serie A side Juventus

Two years later Van der Sar did come to the Premier League when he signed for Fulham

Van der Sar stayed in Turin for two seasons, winning nothing more than the Intertoto Cup, before coming to England to play for Fulham.

He spent four years at Craven Cottage, again triumphing in the Intertoto Cup, then made the big move to United.

As well as helping United add to their trophy cabinet, Van der Sar set multiple records during his time at Old Trafford.

He became the oldest player to win the Premier League and the first goalkeeper to keep 50 clean sheets in the Champions League.

United play Liverpool at Anfield this weekend. It is a fixture which the Red Devils have dominated during the Premier League era, winning 27 times and losing 13.