Think what you will of Andrea Dossena's qualities as a player - and I know that there are those out there who will think very bad things - yet you can hardly find a fault in his attitude.

Frank about his difficulties in adapting to the language and culture, he kept trying his utmost regardless of whether he was starting the game or being sent on for the final few minutes with the result already sealed.

Now that it has become clear that he is surplus to requirements, he has opted to ask for a transfer rather than keep on collecting his wages and wait for the club to make its move, something that would have put him in a better bargaining position.

The sad thing is that Dossena will simply be categorised as a bad (and extremely strange) buy by Benitez.

In reality, it is probably a bit more complicated than that. Althoguh, slowly, Benitez has managed to build a team that is very strong through the centre, he hasn’t been as successful when trying to improve those out wide. Some, like Mark Gonzalez, promised much but delivered very little whilst the limitations of others – Jermaine Pennant and, potentially, Albert Riera – meant that they could never hit the level of performance that he was looking for.

The financial restrictions imposed on the manager also meant that he couldn’t afford to chase the players that he really wanted. So he tried to go for the clever solution.

Which is what led to last summer’s arrival not only of Dossena but also of Philip Degen. The two share similar characteristics in that they are both better known for their offensive play rather than any defensive attribute. Benitez’s plan clearly was that of using his full-backs in order to open up play against teams determined to hold out for a point.

Unfortunately, although good on paper, that plan didn’t work out as expected. Degen proved to be made of glasss and spent the season out injured. For Dossena, the problem was a bit more complex.

True, he failed to settle. Yet what many fail to appreciate is that at Udinese he played largely as a wing-back in a 5-3-2 system. Primarily his job was that to support the strikers with one of the three central defenders covering up for him.

At Liverpool the tactics were completely different. Expected to play as a more conventional full-back, Dossena still pressed forward probably more than was healthy. All well and good except that his lack of pace made him particularly at risk whenever possession was lost. Teams quickly realised that when faced with a quick player, Dossena was in trouble and promptly set out exploiting that weakness.

The defining moment came in the home game against Hull where Bernard Mendy, normally only a reserve player, tore Dossena to pieces. He never recovered from that game and, tellingly, from that point on his appearances came on the left hand side of midfield.

Coupled with the emergence of Emiliano Insua, and he rapidly became surplus to requirements. That didn’t stop him from scoring two important goals that will long live in the collective memories, the fourth against Real Madrid and Manchester United.

Those goals hinted that he could have a future on the left hand side of midfield yet that would have been trying to patch out the problem. Sadly for Dossena, it is much easier to change and start afresh.