Former Leeds United captain Lucas Radebe believes Harry Kewell should never have joined Liverpool.

The ex-South Africa international, who is currently an ambassador for the upcoming World Cup in his homeland, was adamant that Kewell should have gone to a different club rather than have to deal with the limelight of Anfield which may have stalled his career.

''I think he left Leeds prematurely, to be honest. Even if he left Leeds, he should have gone to Italy instead of Liverpool and Turkey. But he's a great player, loads of talent and he still has a lot to give to Australian football,'' said Radebe.

''He was very ambitious, that's why he went to Liverpool. I know he's had niggling injuries but I think it could have been handled better to prolong his career and be free of injuries. I think it's all these movements that destabilised him - and his head as well. It's a mentality. It's psychological as well.

''He played with injuries and as a footballer, you want to impress. You don't want to get to a club and complain about injuries. I think that's what killed him and it's really suffered his career,'' Radebe added. ''He shouldn't have played when injured. Changing clubs, changing physios, could be a hazard. I think with what Leeds did for 'H', the physio there knew exactly what his problem was. But going to another club destabilised that and he struggled.''