Liverpool fans have an extra reason to celebrate winning the Premier League this season.
As well as being the first time securing the title in front of fans since 1990, the win will draw them level with arch rivals Manchester United on 20 league championships.
Liverpool are the most successful club in England, with 52 trophies to Man United’s 47, not including charity shield’s.
And although United have often been top dogs over the past 25 years, they are now lurking down in 14th position in the Premier League table. It’s fair to say that the momentum is back with Liverpool.
Given the rivalry between the two North West giants, any player to have rejected one for the other earns a special place in the hearts of supporters.
And according to former Liverpool right-back Neco Williams, that’s exactly what he did, surprising his family and opting for the Reds as a nine-year-old in 2010.
Neco Williams reveals Man United rejection
Williams played 33 times for Liverpool after making his debut in 2019. The youngster made enough appearances to win himself a Premier League medal during the 2019/20 season.
That was the accumulation of years of hard work from the Welshman, who came through the ranks at the Liverpool academy after joining as a kid.
Now thriving as a regular in an overachieving Nottingham Forest team, Williams has been looking back on his journey up to this point, including a rejection of Man United all those years ago.
“I guess it came naturally to me. I can’t remember a pinpointed day where I thought ‘Oh, I’m quite good at this’, I just loved playing and wanted to play as much as I could,” the 24-year-old told nottinghamforest.co.uk.
“I started to go to Liverpool and Everton sessions, and they were the two most interested in me. It wasn’t until the age of nine that I had to choose a team to sign for. I was still playing for Man United at that time too, training with both teams.
“All my family are United supporters, so everyone thought I would choose them,” says Williams. “But I chose Liverpool. It’s hard to remember exactly why, but I think it came down to where I felt most comfortable and at that time it was Liverpool.”
Williams should be back on Liverpool’s radar
Williams always looked like a good player when coming through at Anfield five years ago. Had Trent Alexander-Arnold not been in his way, he would almost certainly have gone on to play more for Liverpool.
With Alexander-Arnold set to leave the Reds, though, they are now in the market for a new right-back.
Given the uncertainty over the situation on the other side of the defence, Liverpool are also looking for another left-back.
Williams has played both very well for Forest this season, earning a reputation amongst supporters as a fan favourite and someone who gives it everything all the time.
Perhaps he is not what Liverpool need as a starter, but there’s certainly an argument that Williams would be a handy addition given the circumstances this summer.
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