Ian Rush is one of Liverpool’s greatest ever players, but he almost never had a second spell at the club.
The Reds are synonymous with attacking football and putting the ball in the back of the net is what they have always been good at.
In today’s game they are exactly the same but previously, they have had some stars who were simply frightening in and around the box, with Rush one of, if not the most dangerous, strikers they have ever had.
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Many fans were gutted to see him leave and join Juventus in the mid 1980s, although he came back permanently after just a year in Turin due to struggling to adapt.
This move back to Anfield almost never happened, though, with many clubs calling him to convince him to join, with Sir Alex Ferguson doing just that to try and tempt him to Manchester United.
Ian Rush of Liverpool celebrates scoring a goal. Premier League Football - Crystal Palace v Liverpool
Photo by Mark Leech/Offside via Getty Images
Sir Alex Ferguson tried to sign Ian Rush
Only 10 players have ever played for both Liverpool and Manchester United, with the most recent examples being Michael Owen, Paul Ince and Peter Beardsley.
Rush could have also been on this list, however, as back in 1988, many clubs were after him as Juventus no longer seemed keen.
The Welshman revealed that Ferguson was the first to ring him as he attempted to bring him to Man United, although this is something he never considered for a second.
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“I was just at home one night and I got a phone call and it was Alex Ferguson from Man United,” Rush said on the Redmen TV YouTube channel.
“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 honestly, within about 15 minutes, I get a call from Colin Harvey, who’s manager of Everton. 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. And I said ‘I’m not for sale’. He said ‘Yes, you are.’
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“Then I realised I was for sale. About 9:00 at night, I get a phone call. It’s Kenny [Dalglish]. He said, ‘Listen, you’re signing for Liverpool.’ ‘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.”
Ian Rush is the greatest striker in Liverpool history
Liverpool have had some incredibly high quality strikers throughout their history, but none even come close to ‘Rushie’ and what he achieved.
The Welshman is the Reds’ all-time leading goalscorer with 346 goals in 660 appearances, with these contributing to so much success.
During his two spells, he helped Liverpool win five league titles, two European Cups, three FA Cups and five League Cups, not a bad trophy cabinet to say the least.
Imagining him in a Manchester United shirt certainly feels wrong on so many levels, although Liverpool fans, and Rush himself, will be very pleased with the decision he made.