Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has revealed that Jose Mourinho was close to taking over the reins at Anfield a decade ago.

While at Porto, Mourinho was heavily linked with succeeding Gerard Houllier before the club appointed Rafael Benitez and Rodgers insists that there was a chance the 51-year-old would have moved to Merseyside.

He told The Mirror: "There is no doubt that there was a period back in the early 2000s, that this club was a possibility for him.

"Maybe resources were different and he had a better opportunity to go elsewhere but make no mistake, he knows the size and prestige of Liverpool.

"There has been a history there, what with the rivalry and it was a great rivalry between the clubs, but beneath it all he knows the power of Liverpool for sure."

Rodgers's Liverpool will take a massive step towards lifting the Premier League title if they beat Mourinho's Chelsea at Anfield on Sunday.