Liverpool chief executive Peter Moore has explained how Philippe Coutinho's exit was the catalyst for the club to "overhaul" their style of play.
The Brazilian left to join Barcelona in a deal rising to £142 million in January 2018 after spending five years at Anfield.
But the 27-year-old ultimately failed to live up to expectations at Camp Nou and after just 18 months, was farmed out on loan to Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich in the summer.
Coutinho has since been linked with a sensational return to the Reds, but Moore appeared to flatten any hopes of a reunion by suggesting the playmaker would no longer fit their philosophy.
Speaking to the Cape Town Official Liverpool Supporters Club, the CEO said: "When Philippe Coutinho left there was a change, not only to the structure of the team but to the way we played football.
"If you recall, when he left two years ago, then it was a complete change of style of play and we [hardly] lost a game over the balance of the season.
"No disrespect to Philippe but he had a different style of play. The money came in and the money we got from Barcelona then helped fund Alisson Becker."
Responding to speculation that Liverpool had shown their interest in re-signing Coutinho, the player distanced himself from returning to Merseyside anytime soon.
“I don’t look back. I took another path, and now I am on another journey, much like everyone else," he told Sports Illustrated.
“I’m focused entirely – just like them – on reaching my dreams. I’m happy with what I did in the past, and now I can only look forward.”
