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Stephen Warnock has recalled how a dream return to Liverpool was wrecked by Gerard Houllier.

Warnock, who broke through at Anfield under Rafa Benitez before leaving for Blackburn in 2007, joined Aston Villa in 2009, playing under former Reds boss Gerard Houllier.

He played some of the best football of his career at Villa Park before a massive falling out with Houllier.

Still based in the north-west, Warnock had been given permission by the Frenchman to go home after away games in the region.

Therefore, after a game at Manchester City, he didn’t return to Birmingham on the team coach.

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However, to his surprise, that led to ructions with Houllier, who claimed he had never given permission for players to go straight home after games in the north-west.

And when Warnock refused to apologise, Houllier banished him to the reserves.

It was body blow to Warnock, who had recently played for England, and left him seeking a way out of Villa Park.

The late Gerard Houllier during his spell at Aston Villa.

It was like, because it was Liverpool, he wanted to p*** me off even more.”

Warnock also wasn’t happy with Houllier’s assistant, Gary McAllister, who was his manager at Coventry earlier in his career.

“I had a good relationship with him but when he went in at Villa, he just sided with Gerard all the time
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