Stoke City manager Mark Hughes has insisted that standout midfielder Joe Allen doesn't have anything to prove to his former club Liverpool ahead of their visit to Anfield on Tuesday.
The teatime kick-off will see Allen return to Merseyside for the first time since his eyebrow-raising £13m switch to Stoke last summer.
The 26-year-old failed to establish himself as a first-team regular under Jurgen Klopp, despite some assured performance towards the back end of last season.
The Wales midfielder then went on to guide his country to the semi-finals of Euro 2016, where he shone in a famous campaign that saw them topple Belgium in the quarter-finals before finally coming unstuck against Portugal in the tournament's fairy-tale story.
Allen's performances earned him a place in the official team of the tournament,but it wasn't enough to convince Klopp to keep hold of the midfielder.
His manager Mark Hughes told Sky Sports: "His time at Liverpool was a frustration for him and it was only by virtue of him not playing week in week out that we could get him here.
"We were still surprised after Euro 2016 that Liverpool were prepared to sell - but I think they had other irons in the fire.
"They were happy to do the deal and we were happy to have Joe, who has been outstanding. His goal scoring has been added to a game that was already very strong."
Allen has made a fantastic start to the season for the Potters this term, moving into a more attacking role that has yielded five goals and three assists. His contributions have not been understated by Hughes.
He said: "We moved him to a more attacking position and he hasn't had too many games there. I looked at it in training, the anticipation of where the ball is going to drop, and thought why can't he do it higher up the pitch? His reaction for the goal against Leicester showed that.
"He can get double figures this year. I won't put too much pressure on him, but he can do it.
Joe has nothing to prove there in fairness. He was certainly appreciated by his team-mates and fans had expressed surprise he was allowed to leave. I think everyone appreciated his time at Liverpool and perhaps that he needed to move on as well."