The Spaniard brought Dalglish back to the club in the summer of 2009 as a global ambassador and the 59-year-old Scot has now been reinstalled as manager for his second stint in charge in succession to Roy Hodgson, until the end of the season at least, having also served with great success from 1985 to 1991.

Benitez told Football Focus: "My first idea was to bring Kenny to be involved in things close to the first team - to have a relationship with the FA and then to defend the club.

"After, when they needed a manager, he was a very good answer, a very good move because he has the support of the fans and he could bring people together. It was a great decision at this time."

Benitez admitted the final year of his reign under the club's previous American owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett was a difficult one, admitting: "Everything changed. The way the club was going on was like a business - the priority was just the business and it was more difficult.

"Football is different, it is not a company, there are fans behind (it), they have passion. They (the owners) didn't realise this."

Benitez stood by his criticism of Sir Alex Ferguson in early 2009, when he reeled off what he described as a list of "facts" about the Manchester United boss.

"I was analysing the facts, I was not angry, I was not shouting," he said.

"I was trying to put some points across because people, they don't say what they see."

Asked whether he would do the same again, he added: "Yes, 100%. I had more points but I couldn't use them in just one press conference."

Benitez is currently out of work having left Inter Milan by mutual consent in December after just six months in charge, but believes his record in his short time in Italy stands up well to scrutiny by any future suitors having won the Italian Super Cup in August and the Club World Cup in December with the Nerazzurri.

He said: "(In) six months' time, one year, three months, I don't know how long, people will say in six months, two trophies, it's not bad."