Mark Lawrenson: Time For Daniel Agger To Step Up For Liverpool FC

So Daniel Agger has finally heard what he’s been dying to hear for months – that Rafael Benitez wants him.

Now he has to show how much he wants the responsibility of being Liverpool’s main defender.

The end of Sami Hyypia’s Liverpool career edged closer with yesterday’s move to Levrkusen and Jamie Carragher can’t go on forever. If he starts to be used more sparingly before he eventually retires, things are going to get very quiet in that back-line.

So it needs a leader, an organiser, someone who takes responsibility.

Now he has assurances over his long-term future at the club, these are the traits that Agger needs to develop once he signs his new deal at Anfield.

Let’s assume that Benitez is looking to pair him with Martin Skrtel and that this is the centre-back partnership that takes the club into the next decade.

For me, that is potentially the perfect match-up in the heart of a defence. A ‘good cop, bad cop’ scenario.

Roles played perfectly by Carvalho and Terry at Chelsea, Vidic and Ferdinand at Manchester United.