Sunderland manager Gus Poyet does not blame Fabio Borini for refusing to leave Liverpool this summer, but revealed he could make another attempt to sign the striker in January.
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The Black Cats had a 14 million-pound bid for Borini accepted earlier this year, but the Italian rejected a return to the Stadium of Light -- as well as a deadline-day move to QPR -- in favour of fighting for his place at Anfield.
Poyet refused to criticise the player he took on loan last season, saying he might have acted similarly in that situation.
"Fabio was aiming to play in Europe," Poyet told The Northern Echo. "His aim was Liverpool first and then any team playing in Europe next.
"Now it is very easy to say our move was a little bit too early because all the time he was trying to wait for one of the top teams, but back then we were in a rush to get the player.
"I thought we had a great chance but in the end we couldn't get him. I understand his point of view. I can put myself in his point of view and I would like to be honest and say maybe I would have done the same if I was him.
"He is a Liverpool player who played for Roma before they bought him for a lot of money. It didn't work at Liverpool and he decided to come to Sunderland when we were bottom of the league with one point.
"He had the big cojones that you have to have to come to a club in that position and he loved every single minute here. But he thought 'I can play in Europe now' and I think that is fair and understandable."
The Black Cats boss has refused to rule out another bid for Borini in the January transfer window, saying: "Could we revisit in January? It depends on where we are -- I wouldn't like to say yes or no because I don't know how we are going to be or how he is going to be."
Sunderland eventually brought in Inter Milan's Ricky Alvarez on a season-long loan after the move for Borini fell through.
Poyet however, insisted Alvarez is not an out-and-out forward such as Borini, who was Sunderland's joint top scorer last season.
"People will think Ricky is the substitute for Borini, but for me he is not," Poyet added. "Ricky is a player who is exciting on the ball and will create things on his own, but he's not a top scorer.
"Either we make him into a top scorer, or we can't say he's a replacement. Of course he's going to be playing in a position that Fabio played in last year, but it doesn't mean he was a substitute for Fabio."