Keane believes his face did not fit at Anfield

Tottenham striker Robbie Keane has said there was nothing more he could do to make a success of his short-lived spell at Liverpool.

The Republic of Ireland international returned to Spurs this week after a disappointing six-month spell on Merseyside under Rafael Benitez.

"Sometimes the manager doesn't fancy you, its as simple as that," he said.

"If I was a bad egg around the place I could understand that, but I worked every day in training."

Keane signed for the Reds in July in a deal which could have risen to �20.3m, but failed to gel with Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres in the side's attack.

Sometimes the manager doesn't fancy you, its as simple as that Robbie Kene on his time at Anfield

He scored seven goals in 28 appearances but found himself spending increasing amounts of time on the Anfield sidelines, with French teenager David Ngog moving ahead of him in the Anfield pecking order.

He returned to London in a �12m deadline-day transfer to reclaim the Tottenham captaincy, bolstering Spurs' attacking options which also include Jermain Defoe, Roman Pavlyuchenko and on-loan Fraizer Campbell.

"I went to Liverpool and, for whatever reason, it didn't work out. It is just disappointing that there were some opportunities I didn't get," Keane added.

"The most disappointing thing was getting left out of the squad. I found that difficult to take because since I have been a professional, I've never been left out of a squad for that reason."

By contrast, Keane played tribute to Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp, who has spent �42m during the transfer window in a bid to stave off the prospect of relegation.

"I'm now at a fantastic club with a fantastic manager who respects his players and if you're doing well will tell you you're doing well," he said.

Keane has an immediate opportunity to re-establish himself in the affections of the White Hart Lane faithful with the visit of local rivals Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday.

Robbie Keane speaks to Sportsweek on BBC Radio 5 Live from 0900 this Sunday

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