'I couldn't let anyone know' - The secret Aldo tried to hide when signing for LFC
On this day in 1987, John Aldridge joined his beloved Liverpool FC - but do you know the secret he tried to hide when achieving his life-long dream?
The Scouser, who wore the No.8 jersey in honour of his boyhood hero Roger Hunt, was signed by Kenny Dalglish as he prepared for the imminent departure of Ian Rush, with the Wales forward set to join Juventus at the end of the campaign.
Aldridge went on to net 63 goals in 104 appearances for the Reds, establishing himself as a key part of one of the best forward lines Anfield has ever seen, along with John Barnes and Peter Beardsley.
But on the day of his unveiling as a Liverpool player, the Republic of Ireland international had a secret that he didn’t want anyone to know about.
Aldridge takes up the story: “I had broken my hand on the Saturday before I was getting announced to the public at Anfield on the Monday.
“I had bandaged it up because I didn’t want people to know I had broken my hand and didn’t want plaster on it...”
However, all did not go to plan as one of Aldridge's heroes - and a man with a vice-like handshake - was waiting for him at Anfield.
He continues: “As I walked through the main door in main reception, big Ron Yeats, who was the chief scout at the time, was there. He had been watching me and he must have given me good notes for Kenny to go and sign me.
“I went in and he was the last person I wanted to shake my hand, to be honest! It was absolutely gruelling pain and agony, because I couldn’t let him or anybody know that my hand was broken!”