Joe Cole will return to Liverpool this summer after being recalled from his spell at Lille by new manager Brendan Rodgers.

The Northern Irishman was appointed as manager of The Reds last week, and appears to want to take a look at all members of his first-team squad.

Cole spent a successful season with the Ligue 1 side, working in tandem to Chelsea recruit Eden Hazard, but he will return to Liverpool ahead of the new season, under orders from new manager Rodgers.

Joe Cole
Cole will return from his loan spell at Liverpool.

"Joe Cole will stay at Liverpool," Garcia said.

"The new staff has decided to keep him. We will keep very good memories of the player but also of the man."

Having missed out on a recall to the England setup, Cole will be hoping to be selected for Team GB in this summer's Olympic Football competition, but with Craig Bellamy claiming to be one of three over-23 players included in Stuart Pearce's squad, the former West Ham United man will be forced to compete with David Beckham and Ryan Giggs for the final two births.

"The Olympic Games in London are very important to me as I am a pure Londoner," Cole said in April.

"A lot of the competition will be in East London where I started my career."

Dirk Kuyt has already been allowed to leave Liverpool this summer, with his move to Turkish side Fenerbache having been confirmed during the weekend.

However, Rodgers isn't willing to part with Cole, who could be handed a reprieve at Anfield following a turbulent first season.

After being sent off on his league debut for Liverpool against Arsenal, injuries and loss of form contributed to a dire period for Cole, who subsequently lost his place in the England side and was shipped out on loan after the appointment of Kenny Dalglish.

With a deluge of spending having been conducted last summer, Rodgers is likely to be more cautions in his approach during the coming window, but having retained Cole for the short-term, appears willing to hand his current squad an opportunity to impress.

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