Rafa Benitez has assured Robbie Keane that he will be happy at Liverpool - once he gets used to playing for a big club.
The Kop boss admits that his Irish striker has been frustrated by some of his manager's rotation policies since his £20million arrival from Tottenham - and just four goals have hardly helped his cause.
If Steven Gerrard overcomes the groin injury that controversially sidelined him for England's trip to Germany in midweek and yesterday's visit of Fulham to Anfield, then Keane is likely to be back on the bench when Liverpool face Marseille in the Champions League on Wednesday.
And Benitez says it is just a fact of Merseyside life that Keane will have to come to terms with that Gerrard's partnership with Fernando Torres is key to his plans.
Benitez said: "I know Robbie wants to play every game. I know he wants to play for 90 minutes in every game.
"But he needs to understand my vision. It's different for Robbie than it was at Spurs.
Playing for a top team means there will always be excellent players on the bench. That is a fact of football.
"If you want to win trophies then you have to have a good depth to your squad. I think that if the team keeps on winning then everything will be OK.
"I speak with Robbie all the time. We speak about tactics and how I want the team to play and it is clear to me that he is a very good professional.
"Last season it was clear to see that the understanding between Torres and Gerrard was really good and there have been signs this year that it is getting better.
"Torres is back again after being injured and we hope that Gerrard will be fit enough to face Marseille.
"As a manager I don't like to single out players. But Gerrard and Torres have scored something like 54 goals between them since they began playing together, so it is clear that are both very important to us." Keane has barely been able to disguise his disappointment at times this season when he has been substituted. He arrived at Anfield believing that he would for a partnership with Torres that would hark back to the days of Dalglish and Rush.
It is clear, however, that Benitez (left) views the link between Torres and Gerrard as the most crucial aspect of Liverpool's drive for glory this season.
Keane only has to look across the Anfield dressing room to Xabi Alonso for inspiration.
Benitez would have sold the midfielder in the summer had his bid to sign Aston Villa's Gareth Barry been sanctioned.
Juventus also wanted to take Alonso to Serie A, but the Spaniard has been inspirational this season.
And Benitez said: "It is no secret that during the summer we were talking about his future, but Xabi is a good professional and it has been clear that he wants to show what an excellent player he is.
"I am really pleased and happy with Alonso. He can be a key player for us."
The Kop boss admits that his Irish striker has been frustrated by some of his manager's rotation policies since his £20million arrival from Tottenham - and just four goals have hardly helped his cause.
If Steven Gerrard overcomes the groin injury that controversially sidelined him for England's trip to Germany in midweek and yesterday's visit of Fulham to Anfield, then Keane is likely to be back on the bench when Liverpool face Marseille in the Champions League on Wednesday.
And Benitez says it is just a fact of Merseyside life that Keane will have to come to terms with that Gerrard's partnership with Fernando Torres is key to his plans.
Benitez said: "I know Robbie wants to play every game. I know he wants to play for 90 minutes in every game.
"But he needs to understand my vision. It's different for Robbie than it was at Spurs.
Playing for a top team means there will always be excellent players on the bench. That is a fact of football.
"If you want to win trophies then you have to have a good depth to your squad. I think that if the team keeps on winning then everything will be OK.
"I speak with Robbie all the time. We speak about tactics and how I want the team to play and it is clear to me that he is a very good professional.
"Last season it was clear to see that the understanding between Torres and Gerrard was really good and there have been signs this year that it is getting better.
"Torres is back again after being injured and we hope that Gerrard will be fit enough to face Marseille.
"As a manager I don't like to single out players. But Gerrard and Torres have scored something like 54 goals between them since they began playing together, so it is clear that are both very important to us." Keane has barely been able to disguise his disappointment at times this season when he has been substituted. He arrived at Anfield believing that he would for a partnership with Torres that would hark back to the days of Dalglish and Rush.
It is clear, however, that Benitez (left) views the link between Torres and Gerrard as the most crucial aspect of Liverpool's drive for glory this season.
Keane only has to look across the Anfield dressing room to Xabi Alonso for inspiration.
Benitez would have sold the midfielder in the summer had his bid to sign Aston Villa's Gareth Barry been sanctioned.
Juventus also wanted to take Alonso to Serie A, but the Spaniard has been inspirational this season.
And Benitez said: "It is no secret that during the summer we were talking about his future, but Xabi is a good professional and it has been clear that he wants to show what an excellent player he is.
"I am really pleased and happy with Alonso. He can be a key player for us."
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