I came close to joining Liverpool and Man Utd – it took me six years to finally make the move

This weekend's Premier League match between Manchester United and Fulham represents a battle between Edwin van der Sar's two English clubs. However, the Dutch goalkeeper came close to moving to Old Trafford before that Craven Cottage switch.

Liverpool were also in the mix when Van der Sar was preparing to leave boyhood club Ajax in 1999. Instead, he chose Juventus , only to leave the Italian club for Fulham just two years later.

"When I left Ajax in 1999, I travelled to Liverpool and spoke to [then-manager Gerard] Houllier," the goalkeeper told FourFourTwo in 2017. "I was shown around Anfield and also met with the chairman and a couple of the players. I thought about it, but when Juventus came to the table I came to the conclusion that it would be a bigger challenge to play in Italy."

United manager Sir Alex Ferguson was also keen on Van der Sar at the time, the Dutchman claimed. However, he said the higher-ups had other plans.

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"I found out that Ferguson had always been really keen on signing me but the chairman of United had a deal to sign Mark Bosnich on a free instead," Van de Sar added. "So the idea had always been for me to succeed Peter Schmeichel , but it ended up taking six years longer than planned and they tried out some other keepers in that period.

"I found out that United were going to sign me when I discovered a voicemail from Ferguson. That was a special day. That was the moment I thought: 'This is why I came over to London – to eventually make this next step forward.'

"Ferguson told me he needed someone who could lead and give guidance to the defence. He said he knew I wouldn't get flustered if the side was under pressure."

United's loss was, for a time, Fulham's gain. They were a newly promoted Premier League side when they took Van der Sar away from Juve and cemented themselves in the top flight with a safe pair of hands in goal.

Patience paid off for the stopper, despite him only moving to Old Trafford a few months before his 35th birthday. Six seasons brought four league titles as well as a Champions League triumph in 2008, when he made a decisive save from Nicolas Anelka in a penalty shoot-out against Chelsea .

That proved to be Van der Sar's second European title, 13 years after winning his first with Ajax. He returned to the Amsterdam club after retiring, spending several years as their CEO before stepping down in 2023, but is still remembered fondly by fans of his two Premier League sides.