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• Enrique and Andy Carroll set to face old club on Friday
• Defender moved to Anfield from Newcastle in August

The Liverpool full-back José Enrique is hoping for a positive reception from the Newcastle United fans when he makes his first appearance against his old club on Friday.

Enrique moved to Anfield in August for a fee in the region of £6m, calling the transfer “one of the happiest days of my life”, but said he still feels close to the Newcastle crowd.

“I had very good moments there … They have amazing fans, it is an amazing city. I still love Newcastle and will do all my life. But I play for Liverpool now and I want three points because it is important that we get them.

“I hope the fans understand why I moved. I gave everything for Newcastle, I always gave 100% and nobody can say any different. I played in the Championship after they got relegated. I wanted to stay and help because I was part of the reason that we dropped out of the division.

“But an opportunity to play for Liverpool came along and I couldn’t refuse it. We are one of the best teams in Europe. You cannot say no when a team like Liverpool comes for you.”

Enrique said he was impressed by Newcastle’s form so far this season given the number of players they lost in the summer, including the striker Andy Carroll, who could also feature for Liverpool against his old club.

“They sold a lot of players … when you sell a lot of players, normally the team drops a little bit but they are doing really well. Demba Ba has come in and is on fire this season. They are doing really well and I am happy for them.”

Newcastle UnitedLiverpoolguardian.co.uk

• Captain has missed Liverpool’s last eight matches
• Gerrard trained in Abu Dhabi to help rehabilitation

Steven Gerrard is scheduled to give Liverpool a timely injury lift on Monday by returning to full training following an ankle problem.

The Liverpool captain has missed the club’s past eight matches having developed an infection in an ankle injury suffered in training in October. The midfielder has been in light training for the past few weeks and stepped up his rehabilitation during a trip to Abu Dhabi in recent days, where he trained with Al Jazira.

The Liverpool manager, Kenny Dalglish, has consistently refused to set a comeback date for the 31-year-old but, with full training planned for Monday, Gerrard should be available during a hectic period for the club.

Dalglish, whose team have at least 11 matches to play before the end of January across the league and both domestic cups, said on Thursday: “Steven is progressing and training really well. Everyone here is delighted with his progress. We will have to wait and see on when he comes back. I am not going to set any targets. He will be ready when he’s ready.”

Gerrard has made only nine starts for Liverpool since Dalglish replaced Roy Hodgson as the manager in January, having been sidelined for six months with a groin injury. He marked his return this season with a goal in the 1-1 draw against Manchester United and his recovery will be keenly awaited at a club that recently lost the influential midfielder, Lucas Leiva, for the rest of the season with a ruptured

• Coach says report linking striker with transfer is ‘a lie’
• Liverpool and Aston Villa also linked with January bids

The Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola has dismissed Spanish media reports linking David Villa with a move away from the club in the January transfer window.

The sports newspaper Marca reported that the striker is preparing to move on from Barca just 19 months into the four-year deal agreed following his €40m transfer from Valencia.

The speculation over the Spain international’s future appears to have arisen from Guardiola’s decision to omit the forward from his starting line-up for Saturday’s 3-1 victory in the Clasico against Real Madrid.

Marca said Villa has been made available for transfer and had already been touted to “the great English clubs, mainly Chelsea, Liverpool and Aston Villa”, but Guardiola insists the speculation is nonsense.

Speaking to reporters in Japan ahead of Barcelona’s Fifa Club World Cup game against Al-Sadd, Guardiola said: “Marca lie. I have not spoken to David after the last match in Madrid, but all of the players are in my plans.

“I am the one who comes up with 25 different line-ups during the season because I feel that is the best thing to do. Most of the players that are here now will continue for the rest of this season and the next.”

Villa has scored five times in 15 league appearances this season, following his 18 goals in 34 games as Barca won the Primera Division title last season. He has made 75 appearances for the club in all competitions, scoring 32 goals.

David VillaBarcelonaChelseaTransfer windowAston VillaLiverpoolguardian.co.uk