MX23RW : Thursday, November 7 19:01:23| >> :60:2086:2086:

Robbie Keane: 'Rafael Benitez tried to change me at Liverpool'

Former Liverpool forward Robbie Keane says that manager Rafael Benitez tried to 'turn him into something he's not' during his time at Anfield.

Former Liverpool forward Robbie Keane has suggested that Rafael Benitez's desire to change him into a left-winger led to his disappointing spell at Anfield.

In July 2008, Liverpool shelled out over £20m to sign Keane from Tottenham Hotspur, but the Republic of Ireland legend scored just seven goals in 28 appearances before returning to White Hart Lane.

Keane soon returned to form back at Spurs, and the attacker has revealed why he thought he never fulfilled his potential on Merseyside.

Speaking to Pundit Arena's Graham Hunter, the 37-year-old said: "He wanted to change me to a left-winger. I am clearly not a left-winger, and that is obviously clear for everyone to see."

"The first 20 minutes he wanted me to play left wing, and obviously I had never played it before, so it was new to me. When I did play up front I scored goals. But when I did play, I wasn't going to play the next day, which for a striker is very difficult."

"He tried to turn me into something I'm not, and that was always going to be a recipe for disaster as someone used to scoring goals."

Keane is currently contracted to Indian club ATK.

ID:308866: cacheID:308866:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:2129:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Ben Davies and Ayoze Perez in action during the Premier League game between Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur on August 13, 2017
Read Next:
Perez: 'Newcastle can handle big boys'
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool108111961325
2Manchester CityMan City1072121111023
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest10541147719
4Chelsea105322012818
5Arsenal105321711618
6Aston Villa105321715218
7Tottenham HotspurSpurs1051422111116
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton104421714316
9Fulham104331413115
10Bournemouth104331312115
11Newcastle UnitedNewcastle104331010015
12Brentford104151920-113
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd10334912-312
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham103251319-611
15Leicester CityLeicester102441418-410
16Everton102351017-79
17Crystal Palace10145813-57
18Ipswich TownIpswich100551021-115
19Southampton10118719-124
20Wolverhampton WanderersWolves100371427-133


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!