Roy Hodgson once sold the wrong player by accident during his time as Liverpool manager

A former Liverpool player who was accidentally sold by Roy Hodgson during his spell at Anfield has previously opened up on the bizarre incident.

Alexander Kacaniklic, who joined the Reds from Swedish club Helsingborg in 2007, was described as "a naturally gifted footballer" by youth coach Hughie McAuley and was tipped to break into Liverpool's first-team.

In fact, after graduating from the academy, it was suggested that Kacaniklic could get his chance in a Europa League game in 2010.

However, that never materalised and he was soon allowed to leave Liverpool as part of their deal to sign Fulham defender Paul Konchesky – a transfer that has since gone down in the history books for all the wrong reasons.

Roy Hodgson made plenty of questionable calls throughout his six-month spell as Liverpool boss but this one was, let's just say, something else.

Alexander Kacaniklic during his youth days at Liverpool. Image credit: Getty

The story goes that Hodgson drafted in Konchesky, a player he worked with at Fulham, in the 2010 summer transfer window – a deal that also saw Liverpool youngsters Lauri Dalla Vale and Kacaniklic head in the opposite direction.

But it later transpired, courtesy of Kacaniklic, that Hodgson didn't actually want Kacaniklic to leave and had instead wanted to sell another player named Alex.

Speaking to fotbolskananelen in a podcast, the Swede opened up on the bizarre incident.

"It was a bit difficult for Liverpool to replace me," said Kacaniklic. "In his head, he thought he had changed another Alex for Konchesky. But then it was too late. It's a little funny.

"Then he just told me I was welcome back in Liverpool with open arms, but that I should do what I felt. Then I had already changed my mind and was very excited about coming to Fulham."

Kacaniklic came up against Liverpool during his time at Fulham. Image credit: Getty

Kacaniklic went on to make over 100 appearances for Fulham in the Premier League and the Championship, scoring 11 goals across a four-year spell.

He also spent loan spells with Watford and Burnley before moving to Nantes on a free transfer in 2016. However, he failed to score across three seasons at the French club.

Earlier this year, Kacaniklic confirmed his retirement at the age of 33. He recently featured at Cypriot side AEL Limassol.