Ex-Manchester United star Mikael Silvestre has revealed how close he came to moving in the early stages of his career from Inter to Liverpool, claiming that Gerard Houllier had contacted him face to face.
With his prime years spent on the books of Sir Alex Ferguson’s United, Silvestre appreciated an exceptionally beneficial career spanning two decades. From 1999 to 2008, the previous France international racked up 353 appearances for the Red Devils, winning a total of 10 trophies, including four Premier League titles, the FA Cup and the Champions League.
prior to hanging up his boots in 2014, Silvestre proceeded to play for Arsenal, Werder Bremen, Portland Timbers, and Chennaiyin FC. Having picked an alternate heading, he may have also had a spell at Anfield when he left Inter at the age of 21,.
“Arriving at Inter, Marcello Lippi recruited another wing-back, Grigoris Georgatos, who was somewhat more established than me. My playing time was decreasing and I wanted to play. Gerard Houllier was my childhood level coach in France, so we knew each other well and he called me to ask in the event that I wanted to join Liverpool,” Silvestre told FourFourTwo.
The United legend Silvestre proceeded to explain why he decided to censure Liverpool in favor of joining their arch-rivals. He said: “Alex Ferguson called me to enroll his advantage a couple of days later.”
Silvestre wound up making his Red Devils debut against Liverpool yet maintains that when they met on the touchline there was no strain among him and Houllier.
The 42-year-old said: “I recall that I arrived in Manchester on a Thursday and that by Saturday I had already played my first game against Liverpool in Anfield, of all places!”
