Liverpool owner: Philippe Coutinho and Luis Suarez will watch Champions League final and regret leaving

If the Champions League final is the high point of John Henry's tenure then the difficult departures of Suarez, in 2014, and Coutinho, in January, are the low

Liverpool owner John Henry has questioned Luis Suarez and Philippe Coutinho's decision to leave the club and doesn't understand why anyone would.

The American has an enjoyed an up and down tenure in his eight years at the helm of the Reds, with this weekend's Champions League final against Real Madrid the undoubted pinnacle.

If the match in Kiev represents the high point then it's hard to argue that the difficult departures of Suarez, in 2014, and Coutinho, in January of this year, are the low.

But regardless of the success that both have enjoyed since Henry believes they made the wrong decision.

"Maybe it's because I'm an American, but I have a difficult time understanding why anyone would want to leave Liverpool," Henry told The Associated Press. "The club is so rich in history and tradition, supported by so many millions around the world, in virtually every country of the world."

That global standing wasn't enough to prevent Barcelona twice in the last four years tempting Liverpool's star forwards, shelling out over £200m for the pair.

"You don't want to be in the position where players want to go somewhere else, even if it is a great club like Barcelona," he added. "It's hard to understand why players would want to go to a league where the competition is so weak. They must play 30 or so meaningless matches per year waiting for Champions League matches."

For Coutinho and Suarez, the Champions League ended in the quarterfinals and Henry believes that both will be watching on with a tinge of regret.

"They'll be watching this weekend and could have been playing," Henry said. "But (part owner) Mike Gordon, (sporting director) Michael Edwards and everyone in our scouting department have done a terrific job in making the best of those two difficult situations."