A player hasn’t transferred directly between Liverpool and Manchester United since 1964.
Such is the animosity between the two sides these days, it would appear unlikely that that could change in the current climate.
After all, having fought to knock the Red Devils’ hated rivals off their perch, Sir Alex Ferguson fought tooth and nail to ensure that would remain the case as recently as 2007.
But it wasn’t the fact that the Reds wanted to sign Gabriel Heinze from United that made that attempted deal so shocking at the time. Rather the fact they tried to conclude such a deal in the first place.
In the 57 years since Liverpool signed Phil Chisnall from United, it has gradually been accepted that the two clubs just don’t do business with each other. With that acceptance that such deals aren’t even considered, came the fact that these transfer questions are no longer even asked.
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If a player is on the move from Anfield, he just won’t be going to Old Trafford and vice versa. That’s how it is, that’s how it’s done and that has been the case for over 50 years.
That’s what made Rafa Benitez’s surprise pursuit for the Argentine even more shocking as the Spaniard considered the inconsiderable.
But with word emerging from Old Trafford that Anthony Martial wants to quit United in January, should FSG now consider breaking one of English football’s long-standing unspoken rules?
Ever since breaking onto the scene as a 19-year-old with a debut goal against the Reds back in 2015, the Frenchman’s name has been aligned with Liverpool.
Signed from Monaco for an initial £36m, which could have risen £58m, he was the future of French football before Kylian Mbappe stole his thunder.
Since then a succession of ill-thought out managerial appointments and big-money signings have seen the forward overlooked, taken for granted and flung in and out of favour at Old Trafford as he struggled to build on that early potential.
But he has far from been a failure for United. He’s scored a respectable 79 goals from 268 games, including a career-high 23 in the 2019/20 season, and won the FA Cup, League Cup and Europa League during his time in Manchester.
Yet having just turned 26 and having run out of patience at a lack of game-time and being mismanaged at Old Trafford, he wants to seek pastures new.
"Anthony wishes to leave the club in January," his agent Philippe Lamboley told Sky Sports. "He just needs to play. He doesn't want to stay in January and I will speak to the club soon."
From the outside looking in, he now needs a manager like Jurgen Klopp who has a proven record of getting the very best out of each and every one of his players.
And on the face of it, the forward could arguably be exactly what Liverpool need in January too.
They are scoring goals for fun this season with Mohamed Salah, Diogo Jota, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firminio all vying for starting roles, with the likes of Divock Origi and Takumi Minamino making their presence felt in reserve.
Yet Klopp will lose Salah and Mane to the Africa Cup of Nations in January, and while their absence will only be a minimal number of matches, it still leaves a gaping hole in their attack.
Origi and Minamino might be performing well when called upon this season but, in the case of the Belgian in particular, questions about a long-term Anfield future persist.
Meanwhile, Salah, Mane and Firmino will all have turned 30 before the start of next season and are all out of contract in 2023. The Reds might be desperate to retain the Egyptian, currently the best player in the world, but it’s clear something has to give and the next generation of their attack now needs to start to emerge.
Such steps have already been initiated with Jota’s arrival, along with likes of Harvey Elliott and Kaide Gordon being added to the youth ranks, but Klopp will need some signings to compliment such options.
And Martial could fit the bill.
The wantaway forward is quick and versatile, capable of playing anywhere across a front three and it is relatively straightforward to picture how he could fit into a Klopp front-line.
As such, he would be a suitable alternative to both Salah and Mane in January, providing a deadly goal-threat, while his age ensures he would be capable of being far more than just a reactionary short-term fix.
His desire to leave United, frustrated by how his fortunes have fared, highlight a player hungry to prove a point to his would-be former club, the side that made such an investment in their future by bringing him in only to sideline him along the way.
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Now if you have a point to prove to Manchester United, what more satisfactory a setting to do it than at Liverpool?
The Reds have been known to make a number of opportunistic transfers in the past and Klopp himself has said if an opportunity to enhance their squad with the right player at the right price presents itself, Liverpool would be foolish not to look at it.
Martial is exactly that and if not for his Red Devils allegiances, his sudden availability would certainly catch the eyes of transfer-hungry supporters, with only his current employers making such a switch seem unlikely.
His desire to leave United will present an attractive opportunity to one side to strengthen their squad in January.
Whether such a door could be opened by Liverpool remains to be seen.
