Luis Suarez is a 'street fighter' who has damaged the Liverpool brand, says managing director Ian Ayre

But says the striker has been working hard on his character off the field

Luis Suarez looks on during his Liverpool return against Manchester United

Although he is pleased to have his star striker back in the fold, Ian Ayre, Liverpool's managing director, has labelled Luis Suarez a "street fighter" and admitted that his controversial incidents, involving racial abuse and biting have damaged the club's brand.

Suarez, 26, made his Liverpool return on Wednesday night in the 1-0 defeat by Manchester United at Old Trafford, following his 10-match suspension for biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic back in April.

"It [the biting incident] was damaging to the brand but this club is bigger than one player. Luis is a street fighter and we had to deal with it," Ayre said.

The managing director says the Uruguayan forward has been working hard on his character while he has been serving his ban.

"We've worked a lot with him since the Ivanovic incident and he's back to what he's best at - terrorising defenders.

"We all move on together. Hard work and lessons have been learnt post-Evra and we now have a process in place for any crisis. Not a Suarez crisis, just any one."