I was holding back tears after signing for Liverpool - then record transfer killed me

Erik Meijer fulfilled a boyhood dream when he joined Liverpool, however his time with the Reds was only brief. The one-time Netherlands international moved to Anfield on a free transfer from Bayer Leverkusen in 1999.

But scoring just twice from 27 appearances, he was allowed to leave on a free transfer in December 2000 after dropping down the pecking order.

Looking back, the striker knows it was the right decision to leave - even though it hurt at the time. He can admit he wasn’t quite good enough to play for Liverpool. But you can’t take it away from him that he played for his beloved club.

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“Houllier said, ‘Erik, would you like to play for Liverpool?’” Meijer recalled to the Athletic. “I just wanted to shout, ‘Yes!’

“As a kid, Ian Rush was my hero. My father loved Liverpool, too. When I called my father, I hadn’t even sorted out a contract but he said, ‘Just tell them you’re coming whatever! I want to go to Anfield.’

“Walking down those steps at Anfield for the first time with You’ll Never Walk Alone in my ears, I was holding back tears.”

With Michael Owen and Robbie Fowler already in place at Liverpool, Meijer knew he would not be first-choice for the Reds. Manager Gerard Houllier had been very clear about his role, but that did not make their relationship any easier.

“Houllier was very clear what my role would be,” he said. “I was there to make the others look better - to win balls so others could profit from it.

“At the beginning I didn’t find it easy with Houllier. The French are different to us Dutch, who are very direct. We fit well with Scousers - dark humour, the ability to laugh at yourself.

“I was the type who was always swearing and shouting during training if things weren’t going the way I wanted and Houllier didn’t like that. I had to get used to Houllier. Tactically, he was very good and after a while I respected him a lot.”

Meijer started 10 times for Liverpool during the 1999/00 season as he made 24 appearances, as injuries to both Owen and Fowler opened the door to him. But the writing was on the wall when the Reds brought in Emile Heskey in a then club-record £11m deal from Leicester City in March 2000.

The Dutchman actually partnered the new arrival in attack when Heskey made his Liverpool debut against Sunderland that month, but it would prove to be his last start for the Reds.

Featuring as a substitute a further four times before the end of the season, he came on an additional three times the following campaign before calling it quits on his Anfield career.

“It was the signing of Emile Heskey that killed me,” Meijer conceded. “He was bigger, quicker, younger and scoring more than I did.

“That was three England internationals ahead of me in Owen, Fowler and Heskey. They were better than me. Then you have to be honest and take a step back.

“I left Liverpool with pain in my heart but it was the right decision. I can say that the level of Liverpool was too high for me. That’s just the way it is.”