McManaman: Playing at Anfield will be even more special now
Steve McManaman will find himself in surprisingly unfamiliar surroundings when he returns to Anfield on Saturday March 25.
The former Liverpool winger will run out at the club's famous home ground once again next weekend for a special charity meeting with another team he represented with distinction - Real Madrid.
But the dressing rooms and tunnel he frequented between making his Reds debut in 1990 and leaving for Spain nine years later are no more.
The redevelopment of the Main Stand means McManaman will be greeted by a more plush environment than he was used to at Anfield.
And the Kop favourite can't wait to get a player's-eye view of the changes behind the scenes.
"It's always great to be back at Anfield, to have a run-out on the pitch again," he told Liverpoolfc.com.
"I haven't been down and seen the facilities in the dressing room and the new tunnel and things like that, so I'm looking forward to it.
"We've played numerous games [at Anfield] since I retired but with the new stand it looks magnificent.
"I've been into the new stand and sat up there but I haven't witnessed it from the pitch.
"To play at Anfield was special and it will be even more special to go back now."
Free: Steve McManaman reflects on Anfield return
McManaman believes his enthusiasm over coming back to Anfield will be mirrored by Real Madrid's team of legends.
The former Reds No.7 says LFC's home ground holds just as much significance to foreign stars as the great stadiums of the continent do to English players.
"It's great that a lot of the Real Madrid players are going to come over and play at Anfield," he added.
"It's a very special ground for [them]. As much as the English think the Bernabeu is special, or the Nou Camp for example, Old Trafford and certainly Anfield are very special grounds for the Spanish players."
It is not just the stadium that has changed over the years, either.
The 45-year-old iteration of McManaman is unlikely to be as fleet-footed as the man that once zipped up and down the wing for Liverpool.
But he is promising to put in some extra work to be fit and ready for kick-off next Saturday.
"I'm alright, actually, I normally keep myself quite fit," he explained.
"I do a little bit of training on my own, I come to the Academy, so normally I'm OK.
"I haven't done a lot of running recently because I've been following a lot of the Champions League teams, but [in the] week before the game, I'll get out and try and do a little bit more."
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