In our latest in-depth interview with a former red, we spoke to Glenn Hysen about what it means to have been part of our last title-winning team and why he moved to Merseyside - not Manchester.

Had things worked out differently, Glenn Hysen could well have had his head in his hands when Peter Beardsley completed a famous hat-trick against Manchester United back in 1990.

As it turned out, he was as delighted as the majority of the 35, 726 fans there to witness Liverpool canter to a 4-0 victory over the FA Cup holders.

You see, the Sweden international came within a whisker of signing for the Old Trafford outfit just 12 months earlier and could well have gone on to be a fixture in Alex Ferguson's up-and-coming side.

So does he have any regrets over joining the Reds instead of their arch-rivals?

"Not for a second," he says with a grin as we catch up with him prior to one of his regular trips back to Merseyside.

"United may have gone on to win lots of trophies in the years that followed, but I've never regretted not joining them and I'm still hugely proud to say I played for Liverpool."

One of the most-coveted defenders in Europe at the time, Hysen had the pick of some of the continents' most prestigious clubs.

But was it simply a case of choosing Liverpool over United?

"Well not at first, no," he admits, with a guilty chuckle.

"Let me explain. I was going to sign for Man United. I was sitting there with Bryan Robson, Bobby Charlton, Martin Edwards and Alex Ferguson. All I had to do was sign the contract. But the agents who were negotiating the deal made some sort of mistake, so Fiorentina wouldn't talk to United anymore.

"Two weeks later, Kenny Dalglish, John Smith and Peter Robinson came to see me in Gothenburg and I was a Liverpool player within 10 minutes.

"That's how long it took to sell the club to me. It was a matter of seconds."

Now a respected television pundit in his homeland, Hysen still holds Liverpool close to his heart. He frequently makes the pilgrimage to Anfield to watch the Reds in action, so it comes as something of a surprise when he reveals that it was another English club that had him all weak at the knees during his teenage years.

"I actually grew up as a Chelsea fan," he says with a sheepish grin, before adding, "but I'm a big red now - I only have eyes for Liverpool."

Forgive the obvious question then, but why the Londoners?

"Well, I was at school in London and I watched Chelsea play Everton," he says. "I was with four other students and after the game we waited for autographs. They lost so we thought no-one would stop and talk to us, but they had a player called Chris Garland and he chatted to us for a bit. After that I had a soft spot for Chelsea!"

The leap from worshipping the relatively obscure goalscoring powers of Garland to playing alongside a Buddhist-following superstar at Fiorentina, wasn't one that happened overnight. But after joining La Viola from IFK Gothenburg in 1987 it wasn't long before Hysen had the privilege of lining up with future Juventus and Italy star, Roberto Baggio.

"He was only young at that time," says Hysen, his eyes lighting up at the mere mention of the divine pony-tail. "He was about 18 or 19 but was still a fantastic player - even then. He started reading about Buddhism at that time. Every away game he would have his head buried in a book, studying it on the coach. As a player and a person he was just brilliant."

During the late 1980s Serie A was regarded as the best league in Europe and Italian teams were renowned for their defensive strength.

It was a time Hysen remembers fondly, but one that he was happy to give up in return for the camaraderie he would go on to savour with the Reds.

"I did have a great time in Italy. Football is like a religion over - it's so big," he says, throwing his arms out as if to emphasise his point.

"I suppose the biggest difference I found between Liverpool and Fiorentina was that there was no real social side to things off the pitch. In England you would go out with the boys and have a few beers etc. The weather may have been better in Florence, but having such a great bond with my teammates at Liverpool was better. It was fantastic."

The word fantastic could also be used to describe the Swede's first season in English football. A solid presence at the back, he played an impressive role as Liverpool secured the 18^th league title in their history.

It all began on a warm August day in London, when Kenny Dalglish's FA Cup winners were looking to avenge their final day of the season defeat at home to title rivals Arsenal - a 2-0 loss that handed the League Championship to the Gunners.

"What more could you want than to make your debut in front of a packed Wembley crowd," says Hysen, picking up the story. "I'd never played there before. I remember standing on the pitch during the game and taking a moment to look around me. There was John Barnes, Steve Nicol, Alan Hansen, Ray Houghton... the names just symbolised top quality.

"We won the match 1-0 thanks to Peter Beardsley's goal. It may have been the Charity Shield, but after one match for Liverpool, I'd picked up one trophy. That's not a bad return is it?"

Things got even better for Hysen in the months that followed; none more so than on the September night that saw him notch his first goal for the club - in a 9-0 rout of Crystal Palace.

"Well, you must remember I got the most important goal of the game...the eighth one!" he says with a laugh.

"It was an amazing night. You'd never have thought anything like that would be on the cards before the game. I remember John Aldridge was leaving and after the third and fourth it was a bit of a party atmosphere.

"I always felt there was a special atmosphere at Anfield though. Every time I played there was fantastic. 

"That was even more evident on the day we beat QPR to win the league," he adds, anticipating the next question. "The game itself is a bit of a blur. We came from behind to win and I remember some of the fans were shouting updates of the Aston Villa game to us. They were our main rivals and we knew that if they didn't win and we did, we'd be champions. As it turned out, that's exactly what happened.

"I remember walking around the pitch with the supporters throwing scarves at us to wear. The tour of the city in the double decker bus was amazing too."

It's hard to imagine many disappointments from such a fairytale start to life in England - but Hysen has one on the tip of his tongue.

"I think the real downer for us that year was that we should have done the double," he says regrettably. "We beat Palace 9-0 at home and 2-0 away, but somehow ended up losing a crazy FA Cup semi-final 4-3. We weren't good enough in extra-time and the mistakes at the back cost us.

"That was a real shame. But I suppose that's just me being greedy! My first year there was absolutely fantastic.

"The second year was okay, but the third year was the beginning of the end for me. That was Graeme Souness' first full season. Everything changed when Dalglish left. I don't think he (Souness) rated me as a player and I didn't play enough. It wasn't long before I was on my way out."

The frustration at having to bring his Anfield years to such an early conclusion is clearly evident on Hysen's face and we quickly change topic to his top five LFC moments.

"Number one is going to have to be winning the league," he says. "I remember we beat Coventry 6-1 in the final game of the season and we really put a show on that day. That would be in there too.

"Then, of course, there's my debut. Playing at Wembley in a Liverpool shirt was amazing. Number four? Well, if you beat a team 9-0 that's always going to remain in your mind."

That leaves one more....

"I'll say Peter Beardsley's hat-trick when we beat Man United 4-0 at Anfield," he says with a grin. "Everyone was saying it was going to be a big test for us and we totally outplayed them. I knew then that I'd made the right decision to join Liverpool and like I said earlier, I wouldn't change it for the world."