"Thank God I have left Brendan Rodgers!" That's what Nuri Sahin had to say about the Liverpool manager last month after he was asked about his brief four month loan stint at Anfield.
Sahin, who was on loan to Liverpool from Real Madrid, made 12 appearances in all competitions including just seven in the Premier League before he returned to Borussia Dortmund in January - the club where he started his career.
During his time on Merseyside he tended to find himself on the bench behind the likes of Jonjo Shelvey - a prospect that would bruise many an ego, especially for a talented player like Sahin.
The problem for Sahin was that he was on a loan deal at a club that was rebuilding with an eye to the future.
But even though, the German-born Turkey international may feel he has a case when it comes to pointing the finger at Rodgers, in truth his problems started two years ago.
One of the major subplots of this week's Champions League semi-finals sees Sahin face Real Madrid, the club where it all went wrong for him.
Having come through Dortmund's academy - making his debut aged 16 in 2005 - Sahin was viewed as a midfield star of the future, leading Borussia to the league title in 2011 and winning the Bundesliga Player of the Year award.
That summer he announced that he would be moving to Real Madrid so he could play under Jose Mourinho.
But he certainly did not take a number of factors into account, one being Real Madrid's recent poor record with young signings whether it is external or from the academy. The only exception in recent seasons is Raphael Varane who took advantage of a few defensive injuries a couple of months ago to keep his place in the starting XI.
Unless a young player has become a bona fide star and is guaranteed a first team place prior to arrival at the Bernabeu, signing for Real is a risky career move, coupled with managerial instability.
In Sahin's case, the two midfield spots he was aiming for were locked down by Xabi Alonso and Sami Khedira.
But Mourinho's track record for developing young players is fairly unimpressive, with one Real youth player claiming that he prefers the finished article. Looking at the Portuguese coach's stints at Inter and Chelsea, youngsters did not get much of a look in due to his short-termist attitude.
In addition, Sahin is not the prototypical Mourinho midfield player due to his lack of physical presence.
However, luck also played a part in a negative sense. Not long after arriving in Spain, Sahin suffered a knee injury which blighted his early months at the club and prevented from gaining any momentum.
By the time he returned to action it appeared that he was not in Mourinho's long-term plans despite some scant praise from the coach and after just one season he ended up getting shipped on loan, the start of a journey that has led him back to Dortmund with his tail between his legs.
Sahin's successor at Dortmund, Ilkay Gundogan has also been linked with a move to Real Madrid as a long-term replacement for Alosno.
But as well as causing his former club a problem on the pitch, Sahin may end up advising his young team-mate to think twice before moving to Spain.
