Reina: It was right time for Benitez to leave Liverpool

Pepe Reina admits Rafa Benitez had lost much of the dressing room by the time he left Liverpool.

In his new book, 'Pepe: My Autobiograph', being serialised in the Mirror, Reina recalls: "When Rafa left Liverpool at the end of the 2009-10 season, I knew that it was the right time for him to go.

"It hurts me to say that, but the wheels had come off by then and there was no guarantee that he was going to be able to put them back on.

"I know that I will be for ever in his debt for what he has done for my football career, and it is never nice when a manager leaves or loses his job, but there are times when, for whatever reason, the methods that have been bringing a manager so much success just stop working.

"When this happens, the club has to make a decision about whether you will be able to get back to winning ways again, or if it is time to look for a new manager who might be able to freshen things up, just by having a different approach.

"Liverpool wanted to go down the latter route and it was probably the right decision.

"I was upset, obviously, because it is always sad when a manager loses his job, but even more so when he has been as important to your career as Rafa has been to mine.

"But I also thought half of the dressing room was not happy and so, probably, for the club if not for me personally, it was the best outcome for everyone."