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Liverpool FC Supporters Club

Gary Neville reveals untold tale of his persuasion tactics in pursuit of Steven Gerrard for Manchester United

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Former Manchester United stalwart Gary Neville recently disclosed a captivating anecdote recounting his ambitious endeavor to convince Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard to make a shocking move to their arch-rivals during their time together on England duty. The intriguing incident was brought to light during a transfer special segment on Monday Night Football, where Neville was joined by his fellow Liverpool great, Jamie Carragher, adding an extra layer of intrigue to the narrative.

Neville had previously shared fragments of this tale in his autobiography, “Red,” detailing his daring attempt at tapping up Gerrard during the European Championship in 2004. Reflecting on that pivotal moment, Neville revealed, “Steven Gerrard is undoubtedly a world-class player, and I wish he’d played for United. I went on a tapping-up mission when I knew Chelsea were trying to take advantage of Liverpool’s turmoil. ‘Come play for United,’ I said one day to Steven when we were in the hotel. ‘The fans will take to you in no time.’ He just laughed and said, ‘I’ll do it if you go to Anfield.'”

Remarkably, Gerrard corroborated Neville’s account in his own book, “My Story,” published in 2015. He affirmed, “My agent, Struan Marshall, told me that, under Fergie, United had a decent pop at trying to sign me. Gary Neville would knock at my door during England camps. He’d come in for a chat and let me know how much United would love me to play for them. Gary told me Fergie had sent him.”

The pursuit of Gerrard by Sir Alex Ferguson, Manchester United’s legendary manager, is well-documented. Desperately seeking a successor to Roy Keane in the early 2000s, Ferguson left no stone unturned and reportedly presented Gerrard with a lucrative three-year contract offer, as revealed by The Athletic. However, the proud Liverpool-born midfielder declined the proposal, ultimately cementing his legacy as a stalwart of the Reds.

Controversially, Ferguson later made disparaging remarks about Gerrard’s abilities in his autobiography, much to the surprise of the former Liverpool captain. Gerrard expressed his astonishment, stating, “In 2004, Ferguson had called me ‘the most influential player in England, bar none’ and suggested that ‘anyone would love to have Gerrard in their team.’ So I was a little hurt and surprised when, 13 years later, Ferguson used his autobiography to insist he was one of the few who never thought I was ‘a top, top player.’ I wouldn’t lose any sleep, but I was slightly taken aback after all his praise.”

However, time has mended the wounds, and Gerrard revealed that he and Ferguson have since developed a friendship. In fact, the former Manchester United boss provided valuable guidance to Gerrard during his tenure as the manager of Rangers. Speaking about their newfound camaraderie, Gerrard shared, “I’ll let you into a little secret: I’ve had a couple of conversations with him. Since I retired, we have parked our rivalry up, and he gave me time on the phone to bounce a few things off him, a few questions to do with management up here at Rangers. He was fantastic in those conversations. At some point moving forward, I’d love the chance to sit down with him and have a coffee. He’s agreed to that, and that’s fantastic from his point of view because he doesn’t have to give me his time, especially being a rival. But I think that goes to show what type of man he is. He’s not just the iconic manager we all know.”

The captivating episode of Carragher and Neville’s transfer special, which delves into these intriguing details, can be watched in its entirety below.