The defender made 200 appearances during his six-year stint on Merseyside before joining Stoke City when his contract with the Reds expired in the summer
Action ImagesGlen Johnson of LierpoolNo regrets: Glen Johnson left Liverpool after six seasons
Glen Johnson insists he bears no grudges over his Liverpool exit and claims he rejected the chance to stay at Anfield.
The defender made 200 appearances during his six-year stint on Merseyside before joining Stoke City when his contract with the Reds expired in the summer.
Johnson, 30, faces his former teammates for the first time on Sunday when Brendan Rodgers' side visit the Britannia Stadium for the opening game of the season.
However, the former West Ham right-back claims he has no regrets over his departure as he left on his terms.
He said: “I had a very good time [at Liverpool] and enjoyed the majority of it. But I turned down a new contract at the end of the day, so it ended exactly how I would like.
Stanley Chou/GettyGlen Johnson warms up during an open training session ahead of the match between Stoke City and Everton during the 2015 Barclays Asia Trophy TournamentNew challenge: Johnson joined Stoke in the summer
“I met Mark Hughes and everything he had to say was what I wanted to hear. I'm settling in well and I've been made to feel welcome, so it couldn't be going any better at the moment.
“It's just typical my first game [for Stoke] is against my old club. That's football and we'll do what we've got to do. It's my job and I'll treat it as any other game.
“I've been in the Premier League for 12 years – I've got nothing to prove. When I was fit I was in the team, simple as that. There's no problems at all.”
Liverpool missed out on a Champions League spot after a disastrous end to the season that saw them win just one of their final six matches, including a 6-1 drubbing at Stoke on the last day.
Drubbing: Martin Skrtel watches on as Jonathan Walters scores Stoke's third against Liverpool
Rodgers has brought in Christian Benteke, Roberto Firmino and James Milner as part of a massive overhaul that has seen skipper Steven Gerrard and Raheem Sterling join Johnson out the exit door.
But the England international has warned his old club they need to get off to a storming start to the season if they are force their way back into the top four.
He added: “They've made some signings, but not ones that are going to walk straight into the team. They've lost Raheem, who was an important player, so I wouldn't say it's a better squad than last year.
“It will be key for them to get off to a good start, but we want to be difficult to beat and try to improve on last season's points tally. That was a record for the club, so if we beat that we will be happy.”
Action ImagesGlen Johnson of LierpoolNo regrets: Glen Johnson left Liverpool after six seasons
Glen Johnson insists he bears no grudges over his Liverpool exit and claims he rejected the chance to stay at Anfield.
The defender made 200 appearances during his six-year stint on Merseyside before joining Stoke City when his contract with the Reds expired in the summer.
Johnson, 30, faces his former teammates for the first time on Sunday when Brendan Rodgers' side visit the Britannia Stadium for the opening game of the season.
However, the former West Ham right-back claims he has no regrets over his departure as he left on his terms.
He said: “I had a very good time [at Liverpool] and enjoyed the majority of it. But I turned down a new contract at the end of the day, so it ended exactly how I would like.
Stanley Chou/GettyGlen Johnson warms up during an open training session ahead of the match between Stoke City and Everton during the 2015 Barclays Asia Trophy TournamentNew challenge: Johnson joined Stoke in the summer
“I met Mark Hughes and everything he had to say was what I wanted to hear. I'm settling in well and I've been made to feel welcome, so it couldn't be going any better at the moment.
“It's just typical my first game [for Stoke] is against my old club. That's football and we'll do what we've got to do. It's my job and I'll treat it as any other game.
“I've been in the Premier League for 12 years – I've got nothing to prove. When I was fit I was in the team, simple as that. There's no problems at all.”
Liverpool missed out on a Champions League spot after a disastrous end to the season that saw them win just one of their final six matches, including a 6-1 drubbing at Stoke on the last day.
Drubbing: Martin Skrtel watches on as Jonathan Walters scores Stoke's third against Liverpool
Rodgers has brought in Christian Benteke, Roberto Firmino and James Milner as part of a massive overhaul that has seen skipper Steven Gerrard and Raheem Sterling join Johnson out the exit door.
But the England international has warned his old club they need to get off to a storming start to the season if they are force their way back into the top four.
He added: “They've made some signings, but not ones that are going to walk straight into the team. They've lost Raheem, who was an important player, so I wouldn't say it's a better squad than last year.
“It will be key for them to get off to a good start, but we want to be difficult to beat and try to improve on last season's points tally. That was a record for the club, so if we beat that we will be happy.”
