Former Liverpool goalkeeper Sander Westerveld contemplated hanging up his gloves after dramatically losing his place under Gerard Houllier. The Reds had shattered the British transfer record for a keeper when signing him in 1999, but he was cast aside by the manager just two years later.

The 51-year-old is poised to return to Anfield as part of the Liverpool legends squad for the LFC Foundation charity match against Borussia Dortmund on Saturday. Westerveld played a crucial role in the club's achievements under Houllier, claiming five trophies throughout 2001.

The Netherlands international was one of the first names on the teamsheet during his two years as Liverpool's first-choice keeper, racking up 103 appearances. However, a glaring error against Bolton Wanderers early in the 2001/02 season prompted the Reds to make late transfer moves for Jerzy Dudek and a young Chris Kirkland, while Westerveld never played for Liverpool again.

Explaining his decision to bring in two new goalkeepers, Houllier said: "It has always been our aim to strengthen every area of the team. That is why we have ensured the signing of these two major goalkeeping talents. The addition of a hugely promising young talent (Kirkland) together with an experienced international (Dudek) will provide a major boost to the club."

FOLLOW OUR LIVERPOOL FB PAGE! Latest Reds news and more on our dedicated Facebook page

Despite being part of a trophy-winning squad, questions had been raised about Westerveld's position before the Reds brought in new competition. The former Vitesse Arnhem goalkeeper confessed to being stunned by the situation as he believed the Liverpool manager had reneged on his promise.

• Alan Shearer lists everything wrong with Liverpool in 'obvious' scathing assessment

• Virgil van Dijk makes irritation clear with Liverpool teammates - 'Too many times'

"I am very upset by what has happened. Houllier promised I would be his number one keeper, whatever happened," Westerveld said when away on international duty in 2001. "I will certainly want to speak to the manager before the next match."

After a conversation with Houllier, Westerveld was told he would become the club's third-choice shot-stopper. He would subsequently slip even further down the pecking order, being omitted from travelling Champions League squads.

"I'm absolutely disgusted with that," the goalkeeper said at the time. "You could say we have dramatically different opinions. There's no point going back for more talks. I'm looking for a new club as of now. There's no use staying at Liverpool as long as Gerard Houllier is there."

The unfortunate timing meant the goalkeeper was forced to wait until December 2001 to complete a £3.4m switch to Real Sociedad. While the uncertainty lasted only a few months, it prompted Westerveld to consider retiring from the game.

"That period was the darkest of my career. The transfer window had just closed, too," Westerveld recalled to Four Four Two. "I was in the stands for home games and not allowed to travel to Champions League games.

"I later found out why both Dudek and Kirkland had joined the club at the same time: it turned out that Liverpool only wanted to sign Dudek, but something went wrong with the medical examination. Liverpool wanted to cancel the transfer and signed Kirkland from Coventry but Feyenoord kept Liverpool to their deal.

"Still, I don't understand why I didn't get the opportunity to fight for my position. Instead, Houllier ruthlessly kicked me out. I thought about quitting football."

Westerveld featured in 36 league matches for Liverpool during his first season. The following year, he appeared in 61 of 63 games across all competitions as the Reds won the League Cup, FA Cup and UEFA Cup, later adding the Community Shield and UEFA Super Cup to his trophy collection.

Following his Anfield exit, Westerveld spent several years in Spanish football before moving to Portsmouth in 2005. Later that campaign, he returned to Merseyside on a short-term loan to Everton. The final years of his career saw him play in Spain, the Netherlands and Italy before retiring with South African side Ajax Cape Town in 2013.

Join our LFC WhatsApp community and get all the latest LFC news, views, transfer gossip and more, as it happens We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.