Everton and Liverpool are set to battle it out in the Merseyside derby on Saturday, and Jamie Carragher has revealed who his hardest ever opponent was.
Jamie Carragher is known for his punditry nowadays, but believe it or not he did used to have a career in football at Merseyside rivals Liverpool.
He’s not had the best of relationships with Everton over the years, and Carragher even called out the club for their post about Anthony Gordon earlier on this season.
However, he has been complimentary of ex-Everton players, as Carragher labelled Neville Southall as the best goalkeeper ever earlier on this year.
The former Liverpool man has now been talking about his toughest ever opponent during his time at Anfield, and the name he picked won’t come as a surprise.
Jamie Carragher says Duncan Ferguson was feared at Liverpool
Duncan Ferguson, who joined Everton a second time for £3.75m, is a name that’s loved on Merseyside.
Big Dunc played 263 times for Everton, scoring 63 goals and laying on 11 assists. His no-nonsense approach was iconic, constantly putting himself about and showing aggression.
A mural featuring former Everton players Duncan Ferguson and Howard Kendall is seen before the Premier League match between Everton FC and Tottenha...
Photo by Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images
Jamie Carragher was certainly fond of the striker, even if he wouldn’t admit it at the time, as he’s now named Duncan Ferguson as his toughest Everton opponent.
MORE EVERTON STORIES
Speaking to the Athletic in a Q&A, Carragher said that some of his Liverpool teammates feared playing the Everton legend.
“An easy answer for everyone. That would be big Duncan Ferguson. I was a kid trying to establish myself in Liverpool’s first team when I first came up against him.
“I made my derby debut at Anfield as a centre-back against him. He scored in a 1-1 but I played well.
“Duncan built his legend on Merseyside derbies. He never spoke much during the game, but he was so powerful you knew you would have to fight for every ball. During my era he was the only Everton player who you could sense some of my team-mates feared, especially in the late 1990s.”
Wayne Rooney is also a big fan of Duncan Ferguson
Wayne Rooney knew how to score a goal or two during his time at Everton, and even he stated that Duncan Ferguson is his favourite Everton player ever.
“Duncan Ferguson. I used to love Shearer and Gazza but Duncan, obviously being an Everton player. Just what he brought to the team, that fight.”
Ferguson has stayed involved at Everton after he retired, as he’s taken up the caretaker and assistant manager role, as well as working closely with the strikers.
Interestingly, Everton fans called for Ferguson to work with Dominic Calvert-Lewin when he was relieved of his duties by Inverness earlier on this year.
Related Posts