Fabio Aurelio insists it is 'essential' Liverpool keep Rafa Benitez, fearing the club could suffer the same slump as Valencia if he leaves as manager.
Benitez's future at Anfield continues to be uncertain, with rumours having recently abounded that he was ready to quit after the first leg of the UEFA Champions League tie against Real Madrid last month.
The Spaniard's current contract expires at the end of next season and talks regarding an extension have been making slow progress.
But Aurelio, who played under Benitez at Valencia, has urged the Reds board to keep hold of their manager as the full-back does not want to witness a repeat of what happened in Spain.
"Rafa was key to the success Valencia had. We didn't have a squad with big names, but we had a very competitive squad, and Rafa coached his players really well," said Aurelio. "Maybe the success of Valencia was 70-80% because of BenÃtez, and the rest was down to the players.
"It was a big disappointment for Valencia when Rafa left. He came from a second division team [Tenerife] and in his first season he won La Liga ahead of Barcelona and Real Madrid, the first time Valencia had won it in 31 years. Then in his third season he won La Liga again and the Uefa Cup.
"Everybody was really excited about Rafa and the work he was doing. But he decided to move to Liverpool and another challenge. That affected Valencia a lot as what he did there, nobody could repeat.
"After he left, everybody was comparing the coaches with Rafa. He won 10 games in a row there, so everybody was expecting the next coach to win 11.
"In my opinion it is essential that Liverpool try to keep him. Every year he has been here, the squad has improved. In almost every year he has got to the final stages of the Champions League and we have been getting closer to the title."
Aurelio's own contract expires in 2010, but the Brazilian defender is not concerned by the fact that negotiations about a new deal have yet to start.
He added: "To be honest, I am not worried that talks over a possible deal haven't started yet.
"I have had some problems with injuries in the past and I am just enjoying the moment of playing in these big games."
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