Andriy Voronin Back to Liverpool: Should We Keep Him or Sell Him?

The future of Ukrainian striker, Andriy Voronin was said to rest on Herth Berlin playing in the Champions League next season. However, with the Bundesliga outfit finishing just outside the qualifying places, it looks like the club will not be able to afford the permanent transfer of the Liverpool player due to the potential revenue lost after failing to reach Europe.

Voronin's first season with Liverpool could be considered a turbulent one with an apparent lack of confidence from some of the Anfield fans, the incredible form of the new £20 million signing, Fernando Torres, and a lengthy three month injury spell that put the brakes on a promising start from the free transfer.

As the return of Voronin to Liverpool in the summer looks more and more likely, supporters appear to be split down the middle as to whether having the experienced striker back at the club will have a positive or negative effect on next season's title campaign.

More importantly, supporters worry that Andriy Voronin simply lacks that much needed quality to push the team over the winning line they agonisingly fell short of this season.

The Liverpool No. 10 has said he believes the signing of Robbie Keane last summer led to him being unable to prove his second season at the club would have been a more successful one. With the departure of Keane back to Spurs and an inexperienced Ngog still learning his trade, it appears the opportunity to prove his quality to the doubting Liverpool supporters could well be back on the cards.

Liverpool forums have been debating the situation for a few weeks and some believe that now is the perfect time for the Ukrainian to return to the club.

At the age of 29, Voronin clearly has the experience of the game and has shown—with 11 goals from 20 starts in the Bundesliga this season—that the striker still has a keen eye for goal.

Many consider a backup striker for Fernando Torres to be first on Rafa's transfer list this summer, so it's suggested the return of Voronin to the club to play in that position would free up more funds to spend on another area of the team that needs tweaking.

But there are a few who would rather the £3-4 million from the sale of Voronin was put toward a better quality player instead.

There is of course what he will give to players like David Ngog, Daniel Pacheco, and Krisztian Nemeth who would certainly gain some valuable advice during training with Andriy Voronin—who has played alongside names such as Andriy Shevchenko and Dimitar Berbatov. However, there are some supporters who believe his return would make it harder for the youngsters on the fringes to get their chances in the first team.

It is believed that the experience of Voronin coming off the bench, instead of the relatively youthful David Ngog, would be a positive for next season, and it would certainly add another option for the Liverpool manager if key players were injured. But with the Ukranian claiming he does not want to go back out on loan, and he would rather stay and play or be sold to another club; would the returning striker be happy not being an automatic first choice for the majority of games?

With the reemergence of players like Dirk Kuyt and Yossi Benayoun this season, Voronin's options could be even less than he is hoping for in order to attract the interest of other clubs for his signature.

Added to his lack of confidence and lengthy injury during his first season at Liverpool, the player claimed some difficulty in trying to settle in England—he and his family claim they prefer living back in Germany. Some Liverpool supporters believe the recent comments made by Voronin in the media are an angle to ensure Rafa lowers the transfer fee being asked for from Hertha so that he can remain in the country he feels most comfortable.

There is a group of fans who do not wish to see him return at all, and doubt he will ever have the quality that's needed to help Liverpool turn draws in to much needed victories. But, reading through some of the forum discussions amongst the fans, there are many who have stated Voronin received some rough treatment last time around, and he certainly showed glimmers of quality that should warrant a place back in the line-up.

There is certainly reason to welcome Andriy Voronin back to Liverpool and there are, without doubt, some positives that come with him, but does the club really want a player who may struggle to settle again and appears to have his heart elsewhere?