Rafa Benitez has suggested Robbie Keane struggled to cope with the pressure and expectation of playing for Liverpool.
The Premier League title contenders cut their losses on the Irish striker on transfer deadline day by allowing Keane to return to Tottenham Hotspur.
Keane had scored just seven goals in 28 appearances since moving to Anfield from Spurs six months ago, and was unable to reach the heights expected of him.
Reds boss Benitez insists the 28-year-old was given the support to succeed on Merseyside and is disappointed the move did not work out.
"He is Tottenham's player now, so the manager has to support him, but he played a lot of games for us," said Benitez.
"When we signed him, I thought he could be a fantastic partner for Fernando Torres. And if Torres was injured, we could rely on Robbie. I thought he could guarantee goals, but that clearly wasn't the case.
"Sometimes, even with good players, they don't settle in at a new club or they have problems with systems or developing an understanding with other players.
"Another factor is that Liverpool are a different club from most. Expectations are really high, people are asking questions every week and the pressure is on all the time. Maybe that was why he found it so difficult.
"Do I feel any responsibility for what happened? I supported him as much as I could and gave him plenty of opportunities to show his quality. He was not treated badly.
"There is some disappointment it didn't work out, but we did all we could to improve things before having to accept that sometimes you cannot make the improvement you are looking for."
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