Gary McAllister is delighted to be teaming up with Gerard Houllier at Aston Villa.
The Scot was captain of Liverpool when Houllier was in charge.
McAllister said: "Gerard looks in better health now than he did during his time at Liverpool. There's that glint in his eye that he's back, involved.
"All the managers, all those guys at that particular age, Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger, they all have that look in their eyes; there's still a hunger there.
"They never look tired. They are a special breed and Gerard's one of those. They just love the game, that's what it all comes down to. It's not a financial thing, it's purely loving football.
"I am indebted to Gerard because he took me to Liverpool when I was 35. You could think, 'What's the game here, bringing in an old man, has he lost his mind?' But it worked for both of us. It coincided with a couple of years of great success.
"There were a lot of games, a lot of organisation, a lot of flipping teams and using players correctly. Gerard kept all that working successfully. We never lost a cup tie that season and got a Champions League spot.
"As a senior player, Gerard and I spoke a lot. I was brought there with a role to play and we have remained friends ever since."
