Friday 30 January 2015 14:39, UK
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has praised in-form West Ham star Stewart Downing and admits he did not want the midfielder to leave Anfield.
The 30-year-old is currently in his second season at Upton Park and has been a key figure in their rise up the table this campaign.
Liverpool entertain the Londoners on Saturday one point and one place ahead of them in the Premier League table and Rodgers says Downing’s excellent performances under Sam Allardyce have come as no surprise to him.
"Stewart was one I did not want to let go," he said. "It was a difficult start for him but when we worked together at the beginning in the second part of the season he was one of the regular players so he wasn't someone who I wanted to move on.
"He has done very well at West Ham. He is a really gifted player technically, he has a wonderful technique, he plays games and trains every day and is a good guy, so it's not surprising to me how well he has done."
Striker Andy Carroll, who also left Anfield for Upton Park, was another to draw praise from Rodgers ahead of the match.
"Andy is a fantastic football player. He has quality and ability around the box," he said.
"I just felt in terms of how I play, and maybe how the team operates, that he might not have been a regular player because of the movement and the speed at which we try to work.
"But that doesn't mean he is a bad player. He is an outstanding player and when he is fit he has shown that at West Ham."
As for trying to avenge the result at Upton Park where Liverpool lost 3-1 last September, Rodgers said: "It's a different team now and we have a different mentality.
"I think at that point in time we were struggling. We were trying to play with the same flow and the same rhythm but we just couldn't find it at that time.
“I think you see now the confidence in the team. I think we've returned to the top level."
