Keane returned to White Hart Lane in a late transfer on Monday, after spending just six months at Anfield, where he failed to impress. Benitez insists that he had no choice but to let the Ireland international go, feeling that the striker's situation was not good for the rest of the squad.

"Sometimes good players cannot settle down in the team and when this happens you have to consider the situation and try to react quickly," said Benitez.

"If it is not good for the team then it is better for everyone to make a decision and because of the situation in the transfer market and for the opportunity for the player we had to do it now.

"I have to analyze things and try to look at the bigger picture. This means thinking of the club and the team and what is best for them."

However fans will be worried about the lack of strikers as they hope to keep their chase for the title alive, but Benitez is confident that they will be able to cope without Keane.

"We still have Babel, Ngog and Kuyt as well as Torres. It is a risk but the situation was not good and we needed to do something. Now I would like to wish Robbie the best because although things did not work out he has been working hard for us. He was trying to do his best and the key was that Spurs showed a lot of interest and they were pushing really hard for him."

"The player needed to play and he was not doing that as much as he would have liked with us. But I cannot criticize him in any way because, as I have said, he tried to do his best for us."