Steven Gerrard has admitted Aston Villa had 'no issue at all' with him making his return to Anfield on Saturday afternoon as part of Liverpool's Legends clash against Barcelona.
The Reds icon had been involved in the previous instalments of such contests and was drafted into the home side's squad once again as a number of former fan-favourites took to the pitch in aid of the LFC Foundation.
Gerrard will have been using the international break to prepare for upcoming fixtures as he looks to finish the season strongly at Aston Villa, who he took over as manager in November. But he was given the go-ahead to re-unite with some of his ex-Liverpool team-mates, which he was keen to experience.
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Those involved in Saturday's fixture took part in a training session at the Reds' AXA Training Centre on Friday evening, which represented a first trip to the club's state-of-the-art facility for most in attendance. Explaining why it was important to take part in the Legends game, Gerrard told LFCTV : "It's about coming back to play in front of the fans and it is for a fantastic cause.
"Jamie (Carragher) does a lot of fantastic work and we always want to be there to give something back, especially for our city. I couldn't wait to get to the training centre to see everyone as you don't see some people for a long time. You keep in touch with some people on WhatsApp, but we were like two kids at the training centre. It was like we were 20 and 21 again. For a short period of time, you can behave and think like you're a player again. That's what I miss, so I love every minute of it.
"The first respect for me was to speak to Aston Villa about that, and credit to them as they had no issue with it at all. These opportunities only come up every so often to come back. I see a bit more of him [Carragher] but, the foreign lads that come over, it is the chance to mix with them, have a kickabout and do my bit for the city."
Gerrard could well do Liverpool a favour come the end of the Premier League season, with his Villa side in action away to Manchester City on the final day of the campaign. Liverpool's battle with City could well go down to the wire, potentially leaving the former Kop hero in a position of power to dictate the title winner.
It's a conversation Carragher has already had with his former team-mate, as the Bootle-born defender added in the LFCTV interview: "Well, we spoke about that!"
