Swansea City midfielder Jonjo Shelvey has claimed that Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers tried to persuade him not to leave Anfield in 2013.
The 23-year-old joined the Reds from Charlton Athletic in 2010 before heading to the Liberty Stadium in a £5m deal three years later.
Shelvey told BBC Sport: "I was on the way to Swansea and [Rodgers] told me I didn't have to go. He spent hours on the phone to my dad in an effort to try and get me to stay. But I had made up my mind to come.
"I will always be grateful to Brendan because he was honest and said he couldn't offer me the game time I wanted and needed."
Shelvey spent time at Arsenal and West Ham as a youngster before beginning his professional career at Charlton.