Premier League giants Liverpool thought about signing Rangers playmaker Steven Davis during Brendan Rodgers’ time in charge at Anfield, fellow Northern Ireland legend David Healy tells the Belfast Telegraph.
Davis will be 38 by the time next season comes to an end.
But the fact that Rangers had few qualms about handing their evergreen string-puller a contract extension is a testament to Davis’ timeless quality, his impeccable professionalism and his undying influence both on and off the Ibrox pitch.
“Let’s face it, if Steve had been Argentinian, Spanish, Italian or French, journalists and people would be raving about him,” Healy says of the Ballymena Busquetts.
“He would have gotten a better press. I know Brendan Rodgers had a little sniff when he was Liverpool manager and he maybe ended up signing Joe Allen around that time.
“I do believe if Steve hadn’t been from Ballymena or Northern Ireland, he would have ended up getting one of the really top moves. That’s how highly I rate him.”
Liverpool once wanted Rangers legend Steven Davis
Liverpool paid £15 million to reunite Rodgers with his former Swansea City stalwart Allan in the 2012. Davis would join Southampton on a free transfer that very same summer, after Rangers were demoted to the fourth tier of Scottish football.
But, after returning to Ibrox seven years later, Davis has now secured a league title in two separate spells on the blue side of Glasgow, a decade apart.
“I always had a feeling Steve would play on and stay at Rangers. He’s a phenomenal talent and a brilliant man,” Healy adds.
“It’s no surprise to me that he’s staying at Rangers. Whether he plays 80 percent of games, I don’t know, but he will certainly add to them.
“He still has that little bit of quality that will be needed. When he’s on it, he can play in really tight areas.
“He also knows and understands the football club. If the manager needs to discuss anything, Steve knows the dressing room inside out. He’s a manager’s dream and a player’s dream.”
Davis played 33 games in all competitions across 2021/22.
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