I am a Liverpool legend – Sir Alex Ferguson regrets never signing me but I’d never have gone

John Barnes says Sir Alex Ferguson regrets not signing him for Manchester United - not that he would have made the move anyway. Considered one of the greatest English talents of all time, Barnes enjoyed a youth career at the Stowe Boys Club before starting his senior career at Sudbury Court.

Watford came a-knocking in 1981, with left midfielder Barnes scoring 64 goals in 234 games before Liverpool snapped him up six years later. Barnes spent the next decade of his career at Anfield, appearing 406 times, scoring 107 goals and setting up another 98 while clinching the First Division title in the 1987/88 and 1989/90 campaigns.

He also raised the FA Cup on two occasions with Liverpool, won three Charity Shields and a coveted Football League Cup. Despite being born in Kingston, Jamaica, he had lived in England since the age of 12, going on to represent the Three Lions in 79 games between 1983 and 1995.

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He moved on to Newcastle United in 1997, before wrapping up his career at Charlton in 1999. However, if Ferguson had his way, he would have brought Barnes to United during the club's glory years. Speaking exclusively to Ladbrokes - the official betting partner of Liverpool FC - Barnes said: "Was a move to Manchester United ever really close to happening?

"Not at all; you have to remember, this was 1987... Liverpool were the best team in the country - they were one of the best teams in the country. Everton were the second best team in the country, they'd just won the league. Man United weren't the Man United of 1992/93, where everything started happening for them.

"So, if there was a situation where Liverpool and Man United wanted me - or wanted anybody - you were always going to go to Liverpool... it wasn't even close. I didn't really know anything about it; Fergie [Sir Alex Ferguson] said later on that had they not have had Jesper Olsen, it would have been a possibility, to sign me.

"But, unfortunately, had he have come in for me, and had Liverpool have come in for me at the same time... it was just never going to happen. I mean, nobody would've done that, at that particular time. That's not to belittle Manchester United at all, but the decision in 1987... you were always going to go to Liverpool.

‌"I've crossed paths with Fergie over the years, of course, but we've never really spoken about it. There's so many players that he could have signed, and did - or didn't - sign... I'm no different to hundreds of players who either went to Man United, or didn't."

Ferguson famously snubbed a number of players during his 27-year reign at Old Trafford - each of whom could have easily walked into the United team on their day. It is reported that Fergie passed up signing Zinedine Zidane in 1996 in favour of Eric Cantona, while the head honcho also had his eye on David Silva before he made his £24million move to rivals City in 2010.

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Ferguson also noticed a goal-scoring prowess in Frank Lampard before he moved to Chelsea in 2001. Former United chairman Martin Edwards revealed how he passed on Barnes in his autobiography, Red Glory.

"Graham Taylor rang Alex Ferguson to see if he wanted to take him before he signed for Liverpool," he wrote. "Alex passed on him because it was his first season at United, he had Jesper Olsen in his squad and he wanted to see whether Jesper would make it."

Ferguson was on the victorious side more often than not against Liverpool. But the Reds certainly got one over on him when it came to Barnes.