Robbie Keane is desperate to prove himself at Anfield, and Alvin Haw wishes Rafael Benitez would give him a chance.

Is Robbie Keane really another fabled Liverpool No. 7, just as Kevin Keegan and Kenny Daglish were in decades gone by, or is he destined to be a 20 million pound flop?

I guess this is the question every Liverpool fan - including myself - want to know the answer to.

Benitez is certainly leaning towards the latter, with the last straw coming when Keane was left out of the matchday squad in favour of rookie David Ngog for the fourth round FA Cup tie against Merseyside rivals Everton. Rafa claimed it was because "we have a good squad and Keane was not selected".

As if to add further insult to injury, the Spaniard only allowed Keane to play the last seven minutes of following game against Wigan, coming on as a late replacement for captain fantastic Steven Gerrard.

I can definitely sympathize with the former Wolves, Conventry, Internazionale and Leeds man, seeing how unhappy he has become despite having sealed a dream move to play for his boyhood club just six months ago.

Unsettled at the Reds, Keane has often found himself playing second fiddle to the dynamic attack duo of Fernando Torres and Gerrard this season.

It certainly does not help matters when Benitez is ridiculing his out-of-form centre forward, saying ridiculous things to attack Keane's already-low confidence.

Openly declaring that the combination of Torres and Stevie G is key to reviving Liverpool's stuttering title challenge certainly helps to endear you to the person behind them in the strikers' pecking order. Good job there, Rafa.

Also significant to note is the fact that even when any one of the golden duo is unavailable for selection, others like Dirk Kuyt, Ryan Babel or even Ngog will be called into action instead, leaving a sulky Keane looking on from the bench.

Why go all out to marginalize poor Keano like that, Rafa?

I, for one, see the Republic of Ireland captain and record goalscorer as a model professional who always works hard whenever he pulls on the famous red jersey.

Granted, five goals in 17 league games and only seven goals overall in his short Liverpool career so far is a paltry return for what one would normally expect from a 20.3 million pound striker.

But that same career is only six months long! Shouldn't we give him one full season before passing the verdict on his time with us? Not everyone is like El Nino!

Personally, I believe it is unfair to compare the Keane now to the dynamic player we saw at Tottenham.

After all, he did take some time to transform from a club-hopper into the superstar that he was at White Hart Lane from 2002-2008, becoming the Lilywhites' top scorer (the first club player to score double figures in the league for six straight seasons) and also celebrating three ‘club player of the year' awards (2003-04, 2005-05 and 2007-08).

It is hard to anticipate that Keane can re-create that Spurs magic in this Liverpool team in such a short time, thus I would really appreciate it if Mr. Benitez would give a player of his abilities the benefit of doubt and allow him more playing time.

Because who knows, if given some patience, we might just see the ‘Spurs' Keane from before emerge in the crucial stages of the season to help us lift that coveted trophy.

It is heartening to know that Keane is still committed to the Reds.

With absolute conviction, he announced that he wants to stay on and fight for his place in the starting eleven, despite concrete offers from Manchester City, Everton and old club Spurs to give him regular first-team football.

It is with this fiercely loyal attitude that Benitez should not dismiss readily and mould that into what the side needs to maintain its push for silverware on all fronts.

What do you think of the Robbie Keane saga? Let us hear your comments at streettalk@espnstar.com