**Andoni Iraola has revealed Liverpool previously attempted to sign him as a player.**
Iraola will take charge of his first game as head coach on Saturday when his new charges face Sunderland in their opening pre-season encounter in Nashville.
But the Basque’s links with Anfield could have come to fruition far sooner when he was targeted by Brendan Rodgers in the search for an experienced right-back.
The Reds’ 2013 approach for Iraola came when he was captain of native side Athletic Bilbao and preparing to wind down what proved to be a 15-year spell.
He wrote to the club in January 2014, politely rebuffing the approach which involved Liverpool’s former sporting director Michael Edwards, who left again this month.
“I never really wanted to leave Athletic Club,” insisted Iraola.
“For me, Athletic Club was the place to be. The only way of leaving was to go to the MLS \[with New York City FC\] and try something completely different.
“I went before I almost became a problem for the club.
“I was 33 and said: ‘OK, maybe now is the moment to go; if I stay, I’ll start fewer games and play a different role’.”
The 44-year-old was a man high in demand this summer prior to making the move to Merseyside with a host of clubs courting his signature after leaving Bournemouth.
AC Milan, Bayer Leverkusen and Crystal Palace were among those to make approaches for Iraola’s signature before his whirlwind candidacy on Merseyside.
He added: “Honestly. It was true that I was talking with some clubs.
“I think it was the first or second week after the season ended. But it happened fast.
“They contacted me, and it didn’t take a lot \[to say yes to Liverpool\].”