Martin O'Neill has downplayed long-standing whispers he was previously lined-up to become the Liverpool manager in the early 2000s when he was in charge at Celtic.
After hanging up his boots as a player, O'Neill coached Wycombe Wanderers, Leicester City, Aston Villa and Sunderland - among others - during a stellar managerial career that also saw him have notable success north of the border. O'Neill won three Scottish titles and four other trophies between 2001 and 2005.
He also masterminded a famous European win for Celtic over Liverpool in 2003 as the Glasgow side went on to reach the UEFA Cup (as it was then known) showpiece before eventually losing against Porto in a five-goal thriller. It was around that time O'Neill to Anfield rumours were at fever pitch.
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Jamie Carragher was joined on the Sky Sports panel by O'Neill for the latest Monday Night Football. During that appearance, Carragher said: "Can I ask you a question? You may not remember but, at that stage when you knocked us out of the competition, you were linked heavily, for about six-12 months, with the Liverpool job when I was a player. Were you ever in the running?"
O'Neill, 71, responded: "No, it didn't materialise or it didn't happen. But I was extremely happy at Celtic at the time and it would have taken a lot for me to move away."
Addressing THAT night at Anfield where goals from Alan Thompson and John Hartson stunned the Reds and ended their own European ambitions that season, O'Neill added: "It was a big result for us to take us into the semi-finals, but also a big result for Scottish football as well.
"We were always compared unfavourably with the English Premier League and Liverpool, as your side were riding so high. It was a big, big result [for Celtic]."
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