Glen Johnson has named former Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez as ‘the worst man-manager’ he ever played under.
Johnson was brought to Anfield by Benitez in the summer of 2009 from Portsmouth in the and went on to make 200 appearances for the club.
The Reds fought off competition from both Chelsea and Manchester City to land the full-back’s signature.
Despite Johnson joining a side that finished runners-up to Manchester United the season before his arrival, and he was just one of many players to struggle for former under Roy Hodgson before leaving the club in the summer of 2015.
“The best man-manager I played under was definitely Harry Redknapp,” Johnson replied when asked on talkSPORT.
“He was like one of the lads, I had him texting me his comments about horses when I’ve been at the racing – he’s liked to see the boys enjoy themselves.
“But the worst? Hmm… I’d probably say Benitez, but it’s a difficult one, because he was good and the worst at the same time.
“He never tries to be your friend, that’s what I mean by saying he’s probably the worst man-manager, but he does it in a clever way.
“Whereas Harry would be your mate and get the best out of you that way, Benitez would get the best out of you by not being your friend.
“It’s also why I loved him. He used to go to work, he knew how to deal with certain people but he didn’t do it in a friendly way with an arm around you.
“He would bring Torres off at the end of a game and everyone would be saying to Fernando, ‘well done for scoring a hat-trick’, and Benitez would walk past and say, ‘yeah but you should have scored four’.
“He’d just shut him down and say: ‘Don’t be pleased with three’
“He would get the best out of you by knowing what to say and when to say it, as opposed to having a joke with you.
“It’s not a negative about Benitez, I loved Benitez, he just does things in a different way.”
