Steven Gerrard today thanked England boss Fabio Capello for allowing him to return to Liverpool on Saturday afternoon to play a cameo role in Jamie Carragher's testimonial.

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Just hours after completing the whole of the Three Lions' victory against Bulgaria at Wembley, the Reds skipper arrived on Merseyside to contest the first 10 minutes of the 4-1 triumph over an Everton XI.

Afterwards, Gerrard immediately returned to the England camp to prepare for Tuesday's Euro 2012 qualifier with Switzerland.

Nonetheless, the midfielder insists it was important for him to play a part in the celebrations for his close friend Carragher.

Gerrard told Liverpoolfc.tv: "I enjoyed it. The game was played at a decent pace - usually testimonials are walking pace. But credit to Everton, they came and put a decent side out and everybody enjoyed themselves.

"It was important for me to be involved because I am so close to Jamie, not just as a teammate but also as a friend. I wanted to be there and share the occasion with him because we've played together for so long.

"The idea was to have a warm-down with England on Saturday and then we were given the rest of the day off.

"So I asked for permission to fly in and out and make a little cameo, and Fabio was fine with it - but I am sure his decision was based on beating Bulgaria 4-0 first!

"I think Jamie loved the occasion. It went perfectly for him and he certainly deserves it. It's a nice way for the club to say thank you to Jamie for his service."

Gerrard was joined by former Liverpool stars including Luis Garcia, Jerzy Dudek, Michael Owen, Emile Heskey, Steve Finnan, Stephen Warnock, Danny Murphy, Gary McAllister and Jason McAteer in the squad.

The No.8 was particularly eager to highlight Owen's determination to help honour Carragher, despite expecting a mixed reception from the Kop having signed for Manchester United last summer.

"I suppose he was slightly concerned about the reception he'd get, which was a mixed bag, but he went for Jamie," said Gerrard.

"They were so close when he was at the club and are still close now, so credit to Michael for getting involved.

"It was great to see some players who I haven't seen for many years again, and there was also the likes of Gary Mac and Jason McAteer back who I played with very early on.

"All the jokes were flying around and it was fantastic to join in."

Gerrard himself is currently in his 13^th season as a first-team regular at Anfield - but he admits he hasn't yet considered the possibility of his own testimonial match.

He said: "I'm not sure (about a testimonial) - you'll have to ask the club. I think they're for 10 years of service, which I've already done, but there's no rush.

"Obviously I've got more important things to worry about - but maybe there will be one for me sometime in the future. We'll see."

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