'I snubbed Everton and Man Utd to join Liverpool – one would've been better for me'

Stan Collymore has explained that helium came incredibly adjacent to signing for some Everton and Manchester United earlier helium made the determination to Liverpool, expressing a interaction of regret implicit his choices

Stan Collymore has admitted that Manchester United whitethorn person been a amended acceptable for him than Liverpool disconnected the field.

A prolific striker connected his day, Collymore made his mode to Anfield successful 1995 aft a palmy two-year stint with Nottingham Forest, but helium could person recovered himself donning a wholly antithetic shadiness of red. Speaking exclusive to Mirror Football via William Hill up of Wednesday night's Merseyside derby, the 54-year-old explained: "When I signed for Liverpool I spoke to Everton astatine the aforesaid time.

"Joe Royle was the manager astatine the clip and it could person gone either way. I was truly impressed with Joe Royle arsenic a person, arsenic a human, and arsenic a coach. He wanted maine to play up beforehand with Duncan Ferguson, which would person been a precise tasty imaginable – and Everton had a precise bully squad then.

"But I knew respective of the lads from Liverpool, truthful that’s wherefore I chose Liverpool. But anterior to that, it was on/off for virtually each of my 2nd play astatine Nottingham Forest successful the Premier League. Scored 25 goals successful my 2nd season, 35 successful my archetypal season, but it was on/off – would I spell to Manchester United, wouldn’t I?

"And due to the fact that my cause was Paul Stretford – that was besides Andy Cole’s cause – Paul Stretford precise cleverly managed to technologist that Andy Cole went from Newcastle to Man United and me, arsenic his different prima client, went from Forest to Liverpool. So helium made important amounts of wealth connected some deals."

Asked whether helium has immoderate longstanding regrets astir not signing for Everton oregon United, Collymore added: "Look, I played for Liverpool, astir palmy nine successful the country, could spell connected and triumph a Champions League and Premier League double, truthful I’ve surely present got nary regrets for playing for Liverpool Football Club."

However, helium does look backmost connected his determination with a spot of a 'what could person been' mentality nether Sir Alex Ferguson. He said: "But I deliberation that if I’d person joined Fergie’s United astatine the clip - which similar I accidental astir happened – I deliberation I would person won a batch more, and I deliberation that my off-field issues, wellness issues, intelligence wellness issues, ups and downs, would person been little pronounced – due to the fact that I deliberation helium would person been a amended antheral manager. So yeah.

"I retrieve arsenic well, Arsenal were funny for a small while, Bruce Rioch earlier they bought Dennis Bergkamp. Very fortunate that passim my vocation I played for large clubs, but had respective that wanted maine to spell determination arsenic well."

Collymore scored 35 goals and provided 16 assists implicit his 2 twelvemonth stint with Liverpool, earlier signing for his boyhood nine of Aston Villa successful 1997. The striker spent 3 years with the Villains earlier moving connected to Leicester City, Bradford City and Real Oviedo – earlier hanging his boots up successful March 2001.

Everton and Liverpool, meanwhile, are acceptable to conscionable successful the Premier League for the archetypal Merseyside derby of the play – and the past ever astatine Goodison Park. The 2 sides were initially slated to play 1 different astatine the commencement of December, but the crippled was yet postponed erstwhile Storm Darragh deed the shores of the UK.

Table-toppers Liverpool volition anticipation to bounce backmost pursuing a 1-0 nonaccomplishment to bottommost of the Championship Plymouth Argyle successful the FA Cup connected Sunday. Meanwhile, Everton down successful 16th volition beryllium hopeless to get immoderate much points connected the committee successful their conflict to debar relegation. They're 9 points wide of the driblet portion astatine contiguous pursuing a dismal archetypal fractional of the run which saw the broadside sensation triumph connected conscionable six occasions, but David Moyes has steadied the vessel since returning.

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