Former Sunderland manager Gus Poyet believes Brendan Rodgers would still be Liverpool manager had the club not sold star striker Luis Suarez to Barcelona.

Suarez left Anfield for the Nou Camp in the summer of 2014 for £65million.

Following the Uruguayan's departure, the Reds struggled to reach the same heights they had with Suarez at the club, ultimately culminating in Rodgers' sacking in the early part of the current Premier League campaign.

"His (Suarez's) departure has cost Liverpool a lot," Poyet told Omnisport.

"Among other things, probably Brendan Rodgers' job. Maybe if Suarez was still playing for Liverpool, Brendan Rodgers would be the coach today.

"In England, he did good things in his first year, but his second year, he was unique. Some people misunderstood my words when I said that Liverpool almost won the Premier League thanks to Luis Suarez. I just wanted to demonstrate the significance of Luis Suarez on the pitch. I wasn't going against Liverpool."