THESE are the astonishing pictures which show the depth of good feeling between axed Liverpool boss Gerard Houllier and his successor Rafael Benitez.
The club's past and present came together following a chance meeting at Manchester airport, and as our exclusive pictures show, the ECHO was at hand to capture the moment.
Benitez and Houllier chatted like old school friends after bumping into each other in the departure lounge of Terminal 1.
The pair laughed and smiled during a 15 minute chat as they waited for an early morning flight to Portugal, where the Spaniard plans to cast an eye over his new charges, and Houllier will act as a member of Uefa's technical team.
One passenger said: "From the looks of it Houllier seemed to be wishing Benitez good luck."
The two remained engrossed in conversation on the bus to the waiting plane, only stopping when they were ushered to seats on different rows in the plane's first class section.
But as soon as they landed in Lisbon the conversation resumed, with Benitez keen to compare notes with his predecessor.
Another witness said: "They seemed totally at ease in each other's company, although Houllier did most of the talking at first.
"They spoke in English, and were happy to sign autographs for fans.
"Although when a gang of Liverpool fans asked for a joint picture Houllier politely refused."
The pair are set to see Steven Gerrard, and Michael Owen as they face Croatia in a crunch tie on Monday.
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