Former Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers says he found it difficult to accommodate Daniel Sturridge in his side, telling talkSPORT: "There is no doubting his goal-scoring ability but a No. 9 in the modern game now has to give more."
Sturridge, 27, has scored only two Premier League goals this season and there have been suggestions that his persistent injury problems have led to a loss of pace.
Club legend Jamie Carragher recently said in his Sky Sports punditry role that Rodgers bought Sturridge from Chelsea in January 2013 because of his pace and that on current form "it's like playing with 10 men" when he fails to score.
Rodgers, now in charge of Celtic, said: "Daniel will always get goals, he is that quality, but it's about trying to fit it into the way your team works.
"That wasn't easy to do when I was at Liverpool. We always had to find a way to fit him in the team. Sometimes he was out wide with Luis Suarez central and other games he was central and Luis was wide.
"There was always a conundrum there because you want to be aggressive and press the game and there are certain areas of the pitch where you always have to look -- if Daniel is in the team -- where you can and can't press.
"There is no doubting his goal-scoring ability but a No. 9 in the modern game now has to give more than that."
Rodgers said he signed the England international because he wanted "a team that was fast, dynamic, unpredictable, had power and pace" and that Sturridge "gave us all of that" before injuries derailed his career.
"He joined us in the January and for the next 18 months he was incredible," he said. "He has the talent to be one of the best players and strikers in the world, but the best players in the world are available. You look at Suarez, Neymar, [Lionel] Messi, [Cristiano] Ronaldo -- they play games.
"They are churning out 50, 60 games a season, plus international games, so you have to be available. If he is available and he is fighting and pressing and running, everything else comes natural to him."
Sturridge came off the bench as Liverpool lost 2-1 in the FA Cup to Championship side Wolves at the weekend, and Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has faced some criticism for his decision to rest first-team players for the match, with Ben Woodburn, Ovie Ejaria and Connor Randall among the starters.
Rodgers defended his successor, saying: "People want young players to play and when they do play, there is an issue. It is never nice when you lose a game but Jurgen has went and played four or five British players and given them a chance.
"He is hoping they can go and win a game at Anfield against a Championship team with experienced players around them. It never worked out like that because Wolves played very well but the narrative changes for a manager every single day. You are either very good or very bad -- you are never just a good manager who has maybe given players an opportunity and a chance.
"Ultimately, you are judged on games you win and lose, but sometimes in the modern day it is very difficult as a manager."