Anthony Le Tallec has opened up on his relationship with Rafa Benitez and how he feels the former Liverpool manager derailed his career at and after Anfield
Anthony Le Tallec has slammed his old Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez – despite admitting he was silly for asking to leave.
Le Tallec explained how the Spaniard reduced him to tears with his treatment after requesting a loan move. Gerard Houllier had brought him and friend Florent Sinama-Pongolle to Anfield from Le Havre in 2001.
They stayed with their French club for two more years before heading to Merseyside when they were just 18. Le Tallec played 23 times for the Reds in his first year, scoring only one goal. Then he went on loan to Saint-Etienne after Benitez took over from Houllier.
He wanted to return to France because the nation’s under-21s coach wasn’t happy with how little he and Pongolle were playing. “It is abnormal for boys of their age to play so rarely. It is a true problem,” the coach said back then.
“When I think their coach is a former coach from the national team! He is not allowed to sign them and not play them. It is a mess.”
Benitez said yes to the loan and mentioned he had wanted to sign both players when he was at Valencia, reports the Liverpool Echo. “We tried to sign Sinama and Le Tallec for Valencia,” he explained.
