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PHOTO: Steven Gerrard joins Liverpool in training

Reuters

Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard returned to Merseyside on the weekend to take in the club's 1-0 defeat of Swansea City before training with the club on Monday.

Reds gaffer Jurgen Klopp welcomed the former skipper back to the Melwood Training Ground, where the 35-year-old trained with the first-team following Sunday's narrow victory courtesy of a James Milner second-half penalty.

Gerrard, who spent last season with the LA Galaxy - his first away from Liverpool since he joined the youth academy as a seven-year-old in 1987 - was all smiles as he ditched the sun and sand of California for the wind and rain of his hometown.

Despite his presence at Melwood, Gerrard stuck by the words he echoed last week. When asked if he was interested in a return to Anfield on loan, the former Reds captain said simply, "No."

Klopp echoed those sentiments, telling the Daily Mail, "I spoke with Steven, one phone call and a few messages. He's a Liverpool legend, of course. But his contract, as I know, is in the USA.

"But during his break time, I told him, 'Of course you can come whenever you want; you can train with us, do whatever is good for you.' Our doors are always open for him. That is clear."

Faced with what could be his last season of professional football, Gerrard is hoping to mix off-season training with some rest.

"It could be my last season as a footballer. I certainly don't want to feel like I'm feeling right now come next year," Gerrard told the Galaxy's official website.

"I'd love to go out on a high. It's a long season and I only came here for the last four months, but I'll certainly be better for the experience next year."

Gerrard's return to Liverpool training overshadowed that of another former colleague, as Reds defender Jon Flanagan was spotted running about at Melwood for the first time in what likely seems like an eternity to supporters.

The 22-year-old Scouser fullback hasn't made an appearance for the club after having missed all of last season with a left knee worry that required two separate operations to correct.

Klopp has not announced a timetable for Flanagan's return, though his spot in the squad would be welcomed to help deputize left-back Alberto Moreno in lieu of Joe Gomez's season-long knee injury.

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