Wolverhampton Wanderers captain Conor Coady has lifted the lid on the reason he left Liverpool in 2014.
The centre-back came through at the Academy but opted for a move to Huddersfield six years ago.
In 2015 he was then signed by Wolves and has gone from strength to strength with the Birmingham-based outfit.
Speaking with Sky Sports' Geoff Shreeves, the 27-year-old explained the reason he departed Anfield after spending nine years at the club.
The Wolves mainstay said: "Brendan Rodgers was good to me when I was young.
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"I had a season training with the first team at Melwood, and learning off them, that was big for me, but I always knew it was tough.
"I was always realistic, I was learning a lot off the first team, how to play and do things.
"I knew at some point I'd have to come away from Liverpool to really experience being a first-team player.
"It was the best decision I ever made, and Brendan Rodgers was great for that; he pushed that to send me on loan and try to improve my game."
As Liverpool pushed for the Premier League title in 2013/14 season, Coady was loaned out to Sheffield United for the duration of the campaign.
He continued: "Even being on loan at Sheffield United, I loved the season and it was a great club for me to go to, coming back I still knew it was going to be tough.
"Liverpool were always getting better, they were always improving, and the players in my position were ridiculous.
"But I just wanted to play football. I knew where I was at, the type of level I was at, but I just wanted to be part of a first team, playing in games which meant something, playing against men."
