Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has revealed that Manchester United's attacking midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan came close to joining the Anfield side while Brendan Rodgers held the reins at the club.
The Armenian, who joined United from Borussia Dortmund last summer, is now showing his quality in the Premier League, and scored against champions Leicester City to help Jose Mourinho's side record a 3-0 win over the Foxes on Sunday.
Carragher, seemingly impressed with Mkhitaryan's contribution, claimed that Rodgers came close to signing the player while he was at Shakhtar Donetsk. However, he joined Dortmund instead.
"He was a player who nearly came to Liverpool, probably three or four years ago under Brendan Rodgers," the pundit said onSky Sports (H/TExpress).
"I remember speaking to Brendan Rodgers at the time and he wanted to fill that No 10 position behind Luis Suarez.
Jamie Carragher on Mkhitaryan: He's got something that very few players in that position have, which is pace.� #MUFC
"He went to Dortmund in the end and that's where he played there.I think that's always been his favourite position - you're more involved."
Mourinho, meanwhile, insists that he was only protecting the playmaker by leaving him out of the side earlier in the season. Speaking to the press after the match, the Portuguese claimed that he was keeping his midfielder sheltered as he was still adapting to a new league.
He said:I think in your chair, your perspective is always ¦ if a player is not playing, the manager is, I cannot say the word, I have to find a different word ¦ the manager is disturbing him but it's not true.
Sometimes we don't play players and we protect them and Mkhi [Mkhitaryan] was one of these players. He was being protected. And he was adapting."