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Former Liverpool FC midfielder Didi Hamann feels the club will be better off in the long term without Luis Suarez , a player he believes “can’t be trusted”.

Suarez was the Reds’ star man last season, notching 31 Premier League goals to help them finish second in the table.

The Uruguay forward was subsequently hit with a four-month ban for biting Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini at the World Cup and Liverpool sold him to Barcelona for £75million .

The Reds have responded with a £100million summer spending spree with Sevilla left-back Alberto Moreno set to become their eighth new signing.

Hamann is optimistic about Liverpool’s prospects for the new campaign and confident they will not suffer too greatly for the departure of Suarez.

Speaking at a McDonald’s and Football Association Community Football Day, he said: “I think Liverpool have bought well.

“I have always been very critical of Suarez’s antics. In footballing terms, he is a big loss, but somebody else will score the goals and I think, long-term, they will be better off without him than with him.

“I’d rather have the six or seven players they have now than Suarez, because at the end of the day, if you want to win things, you need people you can trust, and he can’t be trusted.

“If he does something stupid again, he could be out for years, or for good.

“Yes, he has been great, there is no doubt about it. But what could have been if he had not missed all the games he did when he was here? Maybe the team would have been in the Champions League a while ago. All he has to show from his time at Liverpool is a League Cup winner’s medal (from 2011/12). He is not leaving a team that was ruling the Premier League or Europe during that the last few years.”

Liverpool exceeded expectations by finishing second last season but Hamann is not expecting them to go one better this term.

“Mentally, it could leave a scar or two because they missed a huge chance. But I think they can build on it,” he added.

“Playing in Europe and then in the league is tough, so that will be a big test they will have to pass. I don’t think they are title contenders this season – I would take another top-four finish now and qualifying for the knockout stages of the Champions League.”