Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez insists the Reds will not be reliant on Fernando Torres for the remainder of the season following Robbie Keane's return to Tottenham.
The Republic of Ireland striker went back to White Hart Lane on transfer deadline day in a reported £12million initial deal, just six months after he had gone the other way for around £8million more.
His departure has led some to question how Benitez's team would cope with the prolonged absence of Torres, given the apparent paucity of alternatives in the Anfield striking department.
But the Liverpool boss insists he has the resources in his squad to cope without his fellow Spaniard.
'I do not think it was a gamble to sell Robbie,' Benitez said.
'If Fernando Torres is injured we have Dirk Kuyt, Ryan Babel, David Ngog and if we need other players we have good youngsters in the reserves, Dani Pacheco and Krisztian Nemeth, while Yossi Benayoun can play as a second striker.
'We did not have time to sign a replacement so we have not got a new, big name, but we do have quality.'
Benitez - who is likely to field the same XI who defeated Chelsea 2-0 on Sunday in tonight's FA Cup fourth-round replay with Everton at Goodison Park - defended his decision to let the Irishman leave.
He said: 'Robbie needed to play, he needed to have confidence and he was not playing at the level that we know.
'He may not have settled down working with other players and systems. Sometimes a good player cannot perform in a different team. He was not doing as well as he could do.
'Maybe he did not have the understanding with other players, and sometimes it is difficult to play in a top side.'
Benitez added: 'We had to make decisions. We had to do it at this moment. If we had waited until the summer it would have been bad for him and bad for the club because the fee would have dropped.
'He did not ask to leave, and leaving Liverpool is not easy. But we were talking with his agent and people at Tottenham, in the end we knew it had to be done.'
The Republic of Ireland striker went back to White Hart Lane on transfer deadline day in a reported £12million initial deal, just six months after he had gone the other way for around £8million more.
His departure has led some to question how Benitez's team would cope with the prolonged absence of Torres, given the apparent paucity of alternatives in the Anfield striking department.
But the Liverpool boss insists he has the resources in his squad to cope without his fellow Spaniard.
'I do not think it was a gamble to sell Robbie,' Benitez said.
'If Fernando Torres is injured we have Dirk Kuyt, Ryan Babel, David Ngog and if we need other players we have good youngsters in the reserves, Dani Pacheco and Krisztian Nemeth, while Yossi Benayoun can play as a second striker.
'We did not have time to sign a replacement so we have not got a new, big name, but we do have quality.'
Benitez - who is likely to field the same XI who defeated Chelsea 2-0 on Sunday in tonight's FA Cup fourth-round replay with Everton at Goodison Park - defended his decision to let the Irishman leave.
He said: 'Robbie needed to play, he needed to have confidence and he was not playing at the level that we know.
'He may not have settled down working with other players and systems. Sometimes a good player cannot perform in a different team. He was not doing as well as he could do.
'Maybe he did not have the understanding with other players, and sometimes it is difficult to play in a top side.'
Benitez added: 'We had to make decisions. We had to do it at this moment. If we had waited until the summer it would have been bad for him and bad for the club because the fee would have dropped.
'He did not ask to leave, and leaving Liverpool is not easy. But we were talking with his agent and people at Tottenham, in the end we knew it had to be done.'
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