On 30 November 2011, he was recalled by Liverpool due to injury problems within the team, mainly surrounding Steven Gerrard and Lucas Leiva, with the latter set to miss the remainder of the season. He made his first ever Premier League start the following weekend against Aston Villa. On 6 January 2012 he scored his first senior goal for the club in a 5–1 win in a third round FA Cup tie against Oldham Athletic at Anfield, and on 8 May he scored his first Premier League goal with a 30-yard strike in a 4–1 home win over Chelsea. He was absent from Liverpool's win over Cardiff City in the season's League Cup Final, and was an unused substitute in their loss to Chelsea in the FA Cup equivalent.