Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has revealed that the club's star frontman Luis Suarez could have left in the summer.
Rodgers suggested that his own move to Merseyside could have opened the door for Suarez to leave the Anfield club but that he decided to stay.
"I have had great support from Luis since I've been here," Rodgers said. "He has really bought into what we are trying to do and our objective has to be to keep the best players.
"I am safe in the knowledge that Luis had the chance to go in the summer.
"There was probably no better time for that, with a new manager coming in. Luis could have had an excuse to go but, having spoken to him at length, he committed to stay."
The Uruguayan has been finding the net with regularity this season and lies joint-second in the Premier League's scoring chart behind Manchester United's Robin van Persie.