Millwall FC will be thankful Neil Harris' Liverpool audition did not go anywhere | OneFootball

Before becoming a Millwall legend, Neil Harris almost signed for Premier League giants Liverpool.

Neil Harris might never have become the Millwall legend he is today had his trial with Premier League giants Liverpool gone to plan.

In the careers of many club legends, you can often find sliding door moments that would have altered the storylines we know today.

Whether it be a last-minute change of heart, an injury crisis unearthing a future star, or a missed flight, those 'what if?' scenarios have acted as the setting for numerous tales of football folklore and cult hero careers.

As far as Millwall are concerned, there aren't many more beloved figures in the club's history than Neil Harris. However, had former Liverpool manager Roy Evans came to a different conclusion about the young Harris' talent, he might never have ruled The Den.

Neil Harris came extremely close to signing with Liverpool

Having began his footballing career with non-league side Maldon Town as a 16-year-old in 1994, his performances there quickly caught the attention of Cambridge City, who signed him for £5,000 that same year.

After scoring 12 goals in 21 games to help rescue City from being relegated from the Dr Martens Premier Division (The Southern League) in the 1996/97 season, he'd already bagged 20 goals by mid-December 1997, and that was enough for footballing giants Liverpool to come calling.

The Reds had just finished fourth in the Premier League the season prior, and boasted a star-studded first-team squad with the likes of Robbie Fowler, Stan Collymore, John Barnes, David James, Steve McManaman and many more.

Just 20 at the time, Harris went on trial with Liverpool, hoping to win a professional contract that would see him live out his dream of representing his boyhood club.

Speaking on how his trial would go via The Sun in 2017, Harris said: "I had two trials at Liverpool and both went well. The first time I trained really well and scored a hat-trick in a practice game at Melwood. I then played in a reserve match when we got spanked 4-1 by Villa.

"Liverpool said they could not judge me on that so I went back up there a month later and scored in a reserve game against Blackburn, when Neil Ruddock was sent off for the worst tackle I’ve ever seen on a football pitch.

"I thought I had done well but then I got a call from them saying they were not going to do anything as Roy Evans didn’t think I was better than he had there. I thought, ‘Well, I am not going to be’ as the strikers he had there at the time were Robbie Fowler and Michael Owen!"

Harris goes on to sign for Millwall in March 1998

Despite not quite making the grade for Liverpool, Harris was evidently a young centre-forward who was ready and capable of plying his trade in the professional ranks, and he wouldn't have to wait too long for that opportunity.

Signed for a mere £30,000 by Millwall in March 1998, little did anyone know at the time, but this would be the start of one of the finest careers in the Lions' history.

He helped Millwall win promotion to the Championship twice during his two separate spells as a Millwall player, firstly in 2001, before playing his part in helping the club on their way to a League One play-off final win over Swindon Town in the 2009/10 season.

Whether it was in the air or on the ground, Harris was capable of scoring any and every kind of goal, with his heart on the sleeve approach to every game, winning the hearts of every Millwall supporter.

He'd play his final game for Millwall in 2011, after racking up well over 400 appearances for the club, whilst also becoming Millwall's all-time record goalscorer with 138.

Harris has since revealed his feelings on the outcome of his Liverpool trial

For many people, missing out on the chance to sign for a club such as Liverpool would be something they would forever regret. Not Harris.

Speaking via The Sun in 2017, he said: "I could look back and go, ‘What if?’ but I look back and think, ‘What if I had gone there, not played and dropped back down again?’.

"So what a godsend coming to Millwall was. It was meant to be and I wouldn’t change it now for the world."