Raheem Sterling was once loved by Liverpool fans.

The Jamaica-born player joined the Reds in February 2010 as a 15-year-old.

He quickly made his way through the youth teams and made his debut for the club two years later at the age of 17.

Sterling would go on to spend four seasons in the first-team and established himself as one of the brightest young talents in world football.

But, with Liverpool struggling to a sixth place finish in the 2014/15 campaign, Sterling decided he wanted more.

He therefore pushed through a move to Premier League rivals Manchester City, tarnishing his reputation with Liverpool fans.

Supporters of the Merseyside club have never forgiven him for his decision and, five years on, he's still very much hated by the fan-base.

But that feeling isn't mutual.

That's because Sterling was asked about the potential of returning to Liverpool in a recent Q&A on his Instagram.

And he was rather complimentary of his former side.

"Would I ever go back to Liverpool? To be honest with you I love Liverpool," he said on Colossal Sports Management's Instagram account, the agency that looks after his affairs, per the Mirror.

"Don’t get it twisted, they are always in my heart. It’s a team that done a lot for me growing up so…"

It's funny how Sterling has come out and said that now Liverpool are 15 points above Man City and within touching distance of the Premier League title...

But, joking aside, despite Sterling's show of affection we can't imagine that Liverpool fans would welcome him with open arms.

He's a superb player but his decision to leave for Man City in 2015 will not easily be forgiven.

And Liverpool are doing just fine without him, anyway.

With Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino taking up the three attacking positions, he probably wouldn't get into their starting XI, anyway.

Sterling may not be ruling out a return and you never know in football.

But currently, at this point in time, it looks extremely unlikely that he'll wear the famous red shirt once again.