10 of the best players to play for both LFC and Everton

Back in 1892, Duncan Mclean and Tom Wyllie left the Blues to join John Houlding's newly-founded Reds and the trade has continued into the Premier League era.

The most recent player to move directly between the clubs was Abel Xavier in 2002, but there have been plenty more who have donned the colours of both clubs down the years.

And so, ahead of Sunday's Merseyside derby at Anfield, we've picked out our top 10...

Steve McMahon

Everton: 119 games, 14 goals. Liverpool: 277 games, 50 goals.

A one-time ball-boy at Goodison Park, Steve McMahon began his playing career with boyhood club Everton and notched a century of appearances for the Blues. 

Snapped up from Aston Villa by Kenny Dalglish as his first signing as Liverpool manager in 1985, the combative midfielder won three league titles and two FA Cups with the Reds.

Peter Beardsley

Liverpool: 175 games, 59 goals. Everton: 95 games, 32 goals

Peter Beardsley dribbled and shimmied his way to two league titles and an FA Cup with Liverpool after Kenny Dalglish broke the British transfer record to sign the Geordie in 1987.

In 1991, he crossed over to Everton, where he was top scorer in his debut season and became only the second player to score for both sides in the Merseyside derby.

David Johnson

Everton: 92 games, 20 goals. Liverpool: 213 games, 78 goals

Liverpool-born striker David Johnson served both the Reds and Everton with great distinction as a predatory goal poacher, and scored derby goals for either side. 

In 1982, after winning four league titles, two European Cups and a League Cup with Liverpool, Johnson left Anfield to re-sign for his first club Everton.

Sander Westerveld

Liverpool: 103 games. Everton: 2 games 

Dutch goalkeeper Sander Westerveld won the FA Cup, League Cup and UEFA Cup treble with Liverpool in 2001 and had a bust-up with Everton's Francis Jeffers in his first Merseyside derby in 1999. 

In 2006, he spent 28 days on loan at Goodison during a goalkeeper injury crisis. He played two games before returning to parent club Portsmouth.

Kevin Sheedy

Liverpool: 5 games, 2 goals. Everton: 356 games, 97 goals.

Considered by many as the best left-footed player in Everton's history, Kevin Sheedy was actually signed as a teenager by Liverpool, but only made a handful of appearances before moving across Stanley Park.

Deemed surplus to requirements at Anfield, the Republic of Ireland midfielder won four major honours with Howard Kendall's Blues: two league titles, the FA Cup and the European Cup Winners' Cup.

Nick Barmby

Everton: 121 games, 24 goals. Liverpool: 58 games, 8 goals

Nick Barmby made the short trip across Stanley Park in 2000 and in doing so became the first player to make the move directly from Everton to Liverpool since Dave Hickson in 1959.

His time at Anfield was relatively short-lived but the attacking midfielder was part of Gerard Houllier's treble-winning side in 2001, scoring four goals in the UEFA Cup en route to claiming a winners' medal.

Gary Ablett

Liverpool: 147 games, 1 goal. Everton: 156 games, 6 goals.

Versatile defender Gary Ablett made his debut under Kenny Dalglish in December 1986 after coming through the ranks and won two league titles with Liverpool before moving to Everton in 1992. 

The Scouser became the first player to lift the FA Cup with both clubs when the Toffees triumphed in 1995. 

Abel Xavier

Everton: 45 games, 0 goals. Liverpool: 21 games, 2 goals.

In 2002, Abel Xavier became the second player in recent history to join Liverpool directly from Everton (Nick Barmby did it in 2000) but his time at Anfield was most notable for his wild hairstyles.

The Portuguese full-back peaked when he scored 16 minutes into his debut.

David Burrows

Liverpool: 193 games, 3 goals. Everton: 23 games, 0 goals

David Burrows arrived at Anfield from West Brom in October 1988 and the young left-back enjoyed tremendous success. He won a league title (1990) and the FA Cup (1992) before leaving for West Ham, in 1993.

He returned to Merseyside to sign for Everton a year later and featured in the early stages of their 1994–95 FA Cup-winning campaign.

Dave Hickson

Everton: 243 games, 111 goals. Liverpool: 67 games, 38 goals

A superb centre-forward in his day, Dave Hickson played for all three major Merseyside clubs: Liverpool, Everton and Tranmere.

Signed by Everton manager Cliff Britton in 1948, Hickson re-joined the Blues in 1957. By then a star striker, his move to Phil Taylor's Liverpool in 1959 caused a major uproar among both sets of supporters.