Not every player who slips through Liverpool’s net goes on to regret it, and Danny Simpson is a pretty good example of that.
The former defender has discussed failing a trial with the Reds as a youngster, before going on to build a career that included Premier League and Champions League success with Manchester United, as well as another remarkable title triumph with Leicester City almost a decade later.
For any young player, being turned down by a club like Liverpool is going to sting.
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But Simpson has hindsight now, and his feelings on the failed move are clear.
Danny Simpson shares Liverpool trial tale
While Simpson would eventually enjoy a career most professionals could only dream of, he has now opened up on that early setback and how disappointed he was at the time.
Speaking about his experience on the United by Association podcast, Simpson said: “I got a trial at Liverpool. So I went there for six weeks. Thank God they never took me there.
“Yeah, I went there I said and obviously got told no after 6 weeks and doesn’t matter who you are. I’m a United fan. I was gutted.”
It is an honest admission, and one plenty of former academy hopefuls will relate to. No matter where a player ends up later, rejection at that stage can feel huge, especially when it comes from one of the biggest clubs in the country.
Even as a staunch supporter of Liverpool’s fiercest rivals, he wanted nothing more than to come to Anfield. It didn’t happen, and it worked out pretty well in the end.
He started his career at Manchester United and went on to be part of a squad that won both the Premier League and the Champions League. That alone would have been enough to make his career a success, but the right-back then added another league title with Leicester City in 2015/16.
That Leicester triumph remains one of the greatest sporting achievements of the modern era, given the odds stacked against Claudio Ranieri’s side at the start of the season. Simpson played a key role in that campaign too, making 30 Premier League appearances as Leicester stunned English football.
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So while missing out on Liverpool left him gutted at the time, Simpson’s story is another reminder that one setback early in a career does not define what comes next.
In the end, Liverpool’s rejection did not stop him from enjoying a career packed with major honours. No harm done.
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