Back after three-year absence: Captained Portsmouth at Oxford United - now lining-up against Liverpool

Now, more than three years later, Christian Burgess is back – and heading to Anfield.

It was July 2020 when the popular central defender departed for Belgium, days after Kenny Jackett’s side were eliminated on penalties by Oxford United.

Skippering the Blues for the occasion, it represented his 210th and final appearance for the club, a period which coincided with the capture of the League Two title and Checkatrade Trophy.

The former Middlesbrough man has been with Royale Union Saint-Gilloise ever since – and on Thursday night (8pm) they face Liverpool in the Europa League.

Now aged 31 and in his fourth season with the Belgian club, Burgess continues to be a mainstay of their side.

At the weekend he netted in a 3-1 victory over Charleroi to lift Union to the top of the Belgian top flight, level on points with Gent.

His English central-defensive partner Alex Sykes, formerly of Accrington, also registered in a third straight win in the Jupiler Pro League.

Certainly Union will be hoping to build on last season’s showing when they finished second in the league campaign – only to end up third following the decisive Championship Round.

Still, that earned qualification for the Europa League, where they defeated Swiss club Lugano in the play-off round to reach the group stages.

Drawn in Group E, Burgess and his team-mates will compete against Toulouse, LASK and, of course, Liverpool.

Union’s first group game ended in a 1-1 draw against Toulouse last month, with Burgess playing in a back three which also consisted of Kevin Mac Allister, brother of the Reds’ Alexis.

Now the brothers will be presented with the opportunity to face each other at Anfield on Thursday night, a quirk which will inevitably capture the headlines.

Nonetheless, for Burgess, it also marks a first competitive game in England since enduring play-off heartbreak at the Kassam Stadium.

Pompey lost 5-4 on penalties in the behind-closed-doors fixture during Covid times after Cameron McGeehan missed.

Although, irrespective of whether that play-off run had ended in promotion to the Championship for the Blues, Burgess had already signed a pre-contract agreement with Union.

And on Thursday night, one of the greatest grounds in the English game will stage his return to this country, albeit for one day only.