Duncan Ferguson Named Surprise Liverpool Player in His Six Hardest Opponents

Duncan Ferguson will go down as one of the toughest competitors in Premier League history.

The Scottish striker enjoyed successful spells with Everton and Newcastle, having previously excelled in Scotland with Rangers and Dundee United.

The six-foot-four forward picked up an incredible nine red cards during his career, but he was also always a tough test for defenders.

He went head-to-head with some of the best in the history of the Premier League between 1994 and 2006, and he has now revealed who he considers to be his toughest opponents.

Ferguson could not be limited to one opponent, instead opting to name six.

However, one of those will come as a surprise to some fans.

Ferguson included former Liverpool star Sami Hyypia, despite the fact that he played for his former side Everton’s Merseyside rivals.

After being asked who his toughest opponents were, the Scot told The Guardian: "Big Sami Hyypia for Liverpool, definitely.

“Tall, big as me, not the quickest but he could read the game.

“I was a leaper and if you were much smaller than me I would destroy you in the air; you had no chance.

“But Sami was a big lad.”

He also included four other big names in the list.

He added Arsenal duo Tony Adams and Martin Keown to the list, as well as Chelsea’s iconic French defender Marcel Desailly.

Ferguson finished off the list by singling out Gary Pallister.

"There were other old-school ones like Gary Pallister, Tony Adams and Martin Keown,” he added.

“They were all tough. [Marcel] Desailly at Chelsea as well."

Ex Arsenal players (L) Martin Keown and (R) Tony Adams (Image: Getty)

Ferguson did not stop there.

The former Everton star added Ferdinand to his list of toughest opponents during an interview with the Daily Mail.

“From those I have named, he was the best in terms of being a "footballer",” he added.

“He had a bit of everything.

Former Everton player Duncan Ferguson (Image: Getty)

“He wasn't a soft touch either.”

Ferguson has had two spells as interim manager of Everton since calling time on his playing career.

The first was in 2019 after Marco Silva was sacked, and the second was in 2022, following the departure of Liverpool legend Rafael Benítez.