Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson has insisted there is no room for sentiment when Steven Gerrard returns to Anfield as manager of Aston Villa on Saturday afternoon.
The 41-year-old spent seventeen years at Liverpool as a player before making the switch to LA Galaxy in 2015, calling time on his playing career shortly after to pursue a career in management.
After some work with Liverpool's academy set-up, Gerrard was offered the Rangers job, tasked with taking the club back to the top of Scottish football.
He would achieve that aim in his third and final full season at Ibrox, winning the Scottish Premier League as well as preventing arch-rivals Celtic from claiming their 10th title in a row.
HAVE YOUR SAY! Will Steven Gerrard be a success at Aston Villa? Comment below
Despite his success as manager of the club, Gerrard would go on to slightly tarnish his legacy in Glasgow after leaving the club mid-way through the current campaign to join Aston Villa.
He has enjoyed an impressive start, winning three of his opening four Premier League games at the helm, losing just once to title favourites Manchester City.
Gerrard now faces the daunting task of a trip to Anfield, a ground he knows every corner of after such an illustrious playing career with Liverpool.
While he is likely to receive a rapturous reception from the home faithful, his focus will firmly be on souring their afternoons by taking all three points back to the Midlands.
Liverpool will be fully prepared for that, at least according to club captain Henderson, who has spoken at length about the return of the man he inherited the armband from.
"I know there has been some discussion about how Steven will act on his homecoming, but I can only think that anyone who isn’t sure hasn’t been paying attention over the last couple of decades," Henderson explained.
"Steven was a winner as a player and now he is a winner as a manager. He will be coming to Anfield to win. It really is that simple.
"Our job is to do everything in our power to ensure that this doesn’t happen, but having been fortunate enough to train alongside him during his final years I have no doubts whatsoever that his sole motivation will be to be on the winning side.
"Sentiment will not come into it for him, but nor will it for us and knowing Steven as I do he wouldn’t expect anything different from his former club."
Henderson spent four years playing alongside Gerrard at Anfield, both key members in the side that came so desperately close to securing a Premier League title in 2013 under Brendan Rodgers.
A costly slip from Gerrard of all people in one of the final games of the season at home to Chelsea placed a huge dent in the club's title hopes, before a capitulation away at Crystal Palace sealed their fate.
While Henderson got the chance to put those demons to bed under Jurgen Klopp during the title-winning 2019/20 campaign, Gerrard walked away from Anfield without a Premier League to show for his efforts.
