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

Former Liverpool defender admitted he was on the verge of joining before becoming a cult hero on Merseyside.

Partnering Sami Hyypia at the base of the Reds’ defence, Swiss ace Henchoz quickly developed into after , kitting out .

Battling through injuries, for over Henchoz spelt an end to his tenure. He jumped ship in 2005 before making a return to his first English club, Blackburn Rovers, in 2006. But, things could have been very different for the now-50-year-old.

Henchoz has now admitted that, before joining Rovers in 1997, he was given the opportunity to wear a different, just as successful shade of red as an offer from Liverpool's rivals United sat on the table.

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“It's true, I was close to signing for Manchester United in 1997,” Henchoz revealed, speaking at the launch of Ladbrokes' Gaffer of all Accas.

“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, the Red Devils were impervious under Sir , and Henchoz would have had a young Wes Brown, David May, Ronny Johnson and Gary Pallister to compete with in the position.

“I would not have played," Henchoz continued. "I'd have maybe played a cup game here, or a couple of league games there. I'd have had to have waited too long to get my chance, so I thought it would be too big a step for me.”

Henchoz then credits former England boss with convincing him to touch down at Ewood Park, only to make his successful move to Liverpool two seasons later.

“Roy Hodgson was someone I knew from the Swiss national team, and he'd taken over at Blackburn - I'd already spoken with him and I knew Blackburn were a good team, and given that the manager knew me, I thought Blackburn was a safer choice,” he explained.

“So, the plan was to go to the , adapt with Blackburn, and then see what happens... and we all know what happened; I played two seasons at Blackburn, did OK and moved to Liverpool. At the end of the day, I'm quite happy with my choice!”

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