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Stewart Downing returns to Anfield today with Liverpool FC boss Brendan Rodgers admitting he didn’t want to lose the winger.

The 29-year-old, who was one of the club’s highest earners, was sold to West Ham for £6million back in August.

Downing made 91 appearances for the Reds following his arrival from Aston Villa for £20million in the summer of 2011.

“Stewart was arguably a player I didn’t want to lose to be honest,” Rodgers told the ECHO.

“It’s one where after a difficult start he showed in the second half of last season what he could do and was in the team nearly every game. I thought he got better and better.

“Throughout pre-season he played a prominent role and then towards the end of pre-season he had to be sold in order for us to maybe invest in other players.

“That was the disappointment really because when he was called upon he had showed up really well.

“He ended up moving on and he’s a good guy. I like Stewart a lot. Every time I’ve seen West Ham this season he has been one of their best players.”

Fellow Anfield old boy Joe Cole, who joined the Hammers in January, could also face his former club but ex-Reds striker Andy Carroll is still recovering from a heel injury.

“It was difficult for Joe here because he was littered with injuries,” Rodgers said.

“The way things went for him in his first game – getting sent off – was a signal of how things were going to go for him here.

“He’s a good player but at this stage of his career he wanted to go and play regularly. West Ham was maybe his best opportunity to do that.”

The fourth placed Reds have netted 16 goals in their last four home games and Rodgers is out to pile on the agony for Sam Allardyce’s side, who are just three points above the drop zone.

“We love playing at Anfield,” he added.

“It’s a place where hopefully visitors now look at it and you hear people talk about the difficulty of going to Anfield.

“That’s great because certainly when I was in the Premier League with Swansea you really looked forward to going to Anfield.

“That’s the mark of how well the players have progressed. We need to keep that mentality and professionalism going.

“If we keep our focus and concentration then we know our quality will come through and we will score goals.

“We need to make sure we finish the week on a high and get to 30 points. We know West Ham will be resolute and hard to beat but we need to find the answers.”