Jamie Carragher admits Liverpool are paying the price for letting Nicolas Anelka leave the club.
The Chelsea striker enjoyed a productive loan spell at Anfield under Gerard Houllier in 2001-02, but chose not to sign the Frenchman permanently, instead signing El Hadji Diouf was signed for £12 million.
"I think it's a bit strong to say it was one of the worst decisions ever, but it's fair to say it was a mistake,” said Carragher.
"You look at Anelka now – he was top scorer in the Premier League last season. It's in the past now, but it was probably something that never went our way."
With Fernando Torres – Liverpool’s only reliable supplier of goals – heading for an operation, manager Rafa Benítez will be forced to rely on the likes Andriy Voronin, Ryan Babel and David Ngog.
Benítez is currently using Torres sparingly but will still include the Spaniard in his squad for the trip to Lyon on Wednesday: "We have to take Fernando to Lyon because we don't have too many options. We have to keep working with him and the rest of the players.
"We are trying to manage because he was close to having an operation. Still yesterday, two days after the game, he is feeling something.
"He is not comfortable. He has not got the power he had before, so we have to try to protect him.
"But he cannot play well if you keep pushing him, maybe if you push him he will be injured for a long time."
The Chelsea striker enjoyed a productive loan spell at Anfield under Gerard Houllier in 2001-02, but chose not to sign the Frenchman permanently, instead signing El Hadji Diouf was signed for £12 million.
"I think it's a bit strong to say it was one of the worst decisions ever, but it's fair to say it was a mistake,” said Carragher.
"You look at Anelka now – he was top scorer in the Premier League last season. It's in the past now, but it was probably something that never went our way."
With Fernando Torres – Liverpool’s only reliable supplier of goals – heading for an operation, manager Rafa Benítez will be forced to rely on the likes Andriy Voronin, Ryan Babel and David Ngog.
Benítez is currently using Torres sparingly but will still include the Spaniard in his squad for the trip to Lyon on Wednesday: "We have to take Fernando to Lyon because we don't have too many options. We have to keep working with him and the rest of the players.
"We are trying to manage because he was close to having an operation. Still yesterday, two days after the game, he is feeling something.
"He is not comfortable. He has not got the power he had before, so we have to try to protect him.
"But he cannot play well if you keep pushing him, maybe if you push him he will be injured for a long time."
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