'Stevie's Liverpool return will be a moment to cherish'
Dietmar Hamann has promised fans in Sydney a moment to cherish when the Liverpool FC Legends arrive in Australia next year with Steven Gerrard among their number for the first time.
The former Reds skipper is set to take part in a clash with an Australian Legends XI on January 7 at ANZ Stadium, where he will team up with fellow Istanbul heroes Hamann, Jamie Carragher and John Arne Riise.
Liverpool last travelled Down Under earlier this year, when they played fixtures in Brisbane and Adelaide during their 2015 pre-season tour.
Having joined Major League Soccer outfit LA Galaxy in the weeks prior to those games, Gerrard missed out on playing in front of the club's passionate Australian support once more.
But Hamann expects the Scouse midfielder to get a rousing reception when he returns to action in a red shirt in 2016.
"I think it’s fantastic news because it’ll be good to be back putting the shirt on again with some of my ex-teammates," he told Liverpoolfc.com.
"Obviously, it all sticks – the memories and good times we have together. There’s plenty of support out there, we’ve been there during pre-season and the support the club got was absolutely fantastic.
"To go back and bring Stevie I think will be a moment all the supporters will cherish.
"When [the tour] was announced the fans probably still expected him to be there.
"Unfortunately, it didn’t happen and he moved on to LA to play for the Galaxy but they get the chance now.
"I think a lot of people looked forward to seeing him in the summer and now they’ve got the opportunity in a couple of months’ time."
The German also joked that the Legends regulars will need to drag Stevie back down to their level, given he is a dead cert to be the fittest man on the park.
"I don’t know how he’ll cope because he’s still active!" Hamann added.
"He’s one of the few who’s still active, he probably has to take a step back and we’ve got to bring him back down to our level because most of us have been finished for a few years.
"It’s just great to have him because he’s going back to LA to play for another year and he can use it as a bit of fitness work and do some training out there that will hopefully make it a bit easier when he does go back to LA."
The trip to Sydney will also see Hamann reunited with former Reds boss Gerard Houllier, who has agreed to return to the dugout once more to manage the Legends.
The Frenchman brought him to Anfield in 1999 and the former Germany international can't wait to link up with his old gaffer again.
"Fortunately I have pretty much always been in the good books with him apart from once or twice!" he enthused.
"I think everybody got on well with Gerard, he’s a fantastic man.
"A lot has been said in recent years about certain managers not having the skills to man-manage people – I think he was the master of that.
"He was always concerned or worried if something happened in your private life, he would always want to be the first to know because he wanted to help you.
"I’ve seen him a couple of times in recent years and it’ll be great to have him back and see him in charge."