Joe: I've changed as a player since Swans
Joe Allen will make only his second return to the place he called home for 13 years tonight - and the midfielder believes he will do so as a more developed, versatile footballer.
Liverpool play their first fixture for eight days against Swansea City at the Liberty Stadium, and Allen admits he's relishing making another comeback to his former club.
The Welshman first came to the attentions of Swans scouts at the age of nine, and once recruited to their Academy set-up, the boy from Carmarthen rose through the ranks to the first team.
When Brendan Rodgers arrived at the club in 2010, Allen's keen passing style endeared him to the manager and when Rodgers moved to Anfield two years later, so too did the midfielder.
Since then, 87 Reds appearances have followed for the Wales international, and he believes the time spent on Merseyside has helped mould him into a different type of player.
"There has been growth," Allen told Liverpoolfc.com. "There have been a few frustrations with injury, but I've moved forward a lot.
"The responsibilities that I have in this team are a lot different to Swansea, so the type of player I've become is different. I'm certainly more versatile. I've added a lot to my game and I'm looking forward to going back and playing there again."
If absence from the FA Cup quarter-final draw with Blackburn Rovers last weekend disrupted Allen's run of six consecutive games in the side, he insists the stalemate has not affected the team's momentum heading into tonight's clash.
"There's certainly a lot of belief," explained the 25-year-old. "It's [about getting] that balance. Performances are what we always strive to get first and, with that, we're confident we can get the result.
"Our performances were up and down and we weren't getting the results we wanted [earlier in the season]. But we seem to have turned both things around.
"When you get those two things together, it certainly makes you feel like you can go and play anyone, anywhere, and do the job. But there's no getting carried away at the same time.
"There are a lot of games between now and the end of the season where we have to make sure we keep our levels really high."
Swansea currently sit ninth in the Premier League table and have not dropped below the midway point in the standings since the start of the season.
They recorded their first-ever league double over Manchester United when they won 2-1 in their last home match, thanks to goals from Ki Sung-Yeung and Bafetimbi Gomis.
Arsenal have also fallen to defeat at the Liberty Stadium this season, and Allen is unequivocal as to whose influence has helped steer the Swans to an impressive campaign so far.
"When Garry Monk's name was one of the ones put forward [to manage Swansea], I was really keen and excited for him to get it," said the Reds' No.24.
"Having played with him when he was the team captain, I always knew he'd go on and be a great manager. In a year, he's shown his ability. The team has been consistently good. They've been in the top half all season and it's great to see the club I used to play for doing so well."