Liverpool legend Ian Rush believes Rafael Benítez will still be in charge at Anfield next season, despite the Reds’ imminent failure to qualify for the Champions League, and reports linking the Spaniard with a summer move to Italian giants Juventus.
Speaking exclusively to Goal.com UK, Rush, whose 346 goals make him the Reds’ all-time top scorer, said that last week’s announcement that co-owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks have officially put the club up for sale was good news for Liverpool supporters, and that he expects Benitez to lead the way forward next season.
“I don’t think that Benitez’s future will be a massive issue personally,” he said, “Of course what needs to happen, for peace of mind as much as anything else, is that the situation gets sorted sooner rather than later.
“All we know at the moment is that the club is up for sale, and that is official. What we must hope for is that any buyer wants, and does, what is best for Liverpool.
“It is positive news; it is what the fans want, a bit of light at the end of the tunnel after a difficult period.”
Gillett and Hicks have drafted in British Airways chief Martin Broughton, who will act as an interim chairman to oversee the sale of the club, and Rush believes that the money made available to Benitez for strengthening the squad will be the key this summer. But he expressed concern over the need to settle the situation quickly.
“I think Benitez will be there as manager,” he said, “But then the big issue is how much he will have to spend in the summer. That’s why the situation must be sorted, and the sooner the better."
Yet whilst the off-field issues have dominated the headlines for all the wrong reasons this season, on the pitch Liverpool have fared little better. Benitez’s side look set to miss out on a Champions League place next season, sitting well behind both Tottenham and Manchester City in the race for a top-four finish, and Rush believes catching those teams, with just four league games remaining, will be very difficult.
“I think they still have a small chance of getting fourth,” he said. “Tottenham and Manchester City can drop points in tough games, but of course it is going to be very difficult.
“I think the game with Fulham [a 0-0 draw at Anfield last week] was crucial, Liverpool needed to win every game until the end of the season – and most people thought the big one would be against Chelsea – so those dropped points have cost them.”
Despite their disappointing domestic campaign, however, Liverpool find themselves in with a chance of landing a trophy come May. They take on Spanish side Atletico Madrid in the Europa League semi-finals on Thursday night, and Rush believes the Reds’ quarter-final performance, in which they swept aside a much-fancied Benfica side 5-3 on aggregate, makes them favourites for the competition.
“I definitely think they can go all the way in the Europa League,” he revealed, “I thought before the quarter-final that whoever won out of Liverpool and Benfica would be favourites, and that hasn’t changed. I do believe Liverpool can go on and win it.
“It may not be the Champions League, but it’s still a trophy to win, and for the fans; they want to see Steven Gerrard lifting that trophy in Hamburg.”
Rush’s record at Anfield during his two spells at the club between 1980 and 1997 has guaranteed him a place amongst the pantheon of Liverpool legends, and the Welshman believes that the current owner of the Reds’ number 9 shirt, Fernando Torres, has what it takes to join him on that illustrious list, despite the series of injuries which have curtailed his campaign.
“Torres, of course, has been fantastic,” he said, “His scoring record and ratio is incredible, and of course when he doesn’t play he is a big miss. It really notices because he is such a special player, so it is a huge shame to see him suffer any injury."
Speaking exclusively to Goal.com UK, Rush, whose 346 goals make him the Reds’ all-time top scorer, said that last week’s announcement that co-owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks have officially put the club up for sale was good news for Liverpool supporters, and that he expects Benitez to lead the way forward next season.
“I don’t think that Benitez’s future will be a massive issue personally,” he said, “Of course what needs to happen, for peace of mind as much as anything else, is that the situation gets sorted sooner rather than later.
“All we know at the moment is that the club is up for sale, and that is official. What we must hope for is that any buyer wants, and does, what is best for Liverpool.
“It is positive news; it is what the fans want, a bit of light at the end of the tunnel after a difficult period.”
Gillett and Hicks have drafted in British Airways chief Martin Broughton, who will act as an interim chairman to oversee the sale of the club, and Rush believes that the money made available to Benitez for strengthening the squad will be the key this summer. But he expressed concern over the need to settle the situation quickly.
“I think Benitez will be there as manager,” he said, “But then the big issue is how much he will have to spend in the summer. That’s why the situation must be sorted, and the sooner the better."
Yet whilst the off-field issues have dominated the headlines for all the wrong reasons this season, on the pitch Liverpool have fared little better. Benitez’s side look set to miss out on a Champions League place next season, sitting well behind both Tottenham and Manchester City in the race for a top-four finish, and Rush believes catching those teams, with just four league games remaining, will be very difficult.
“I think they still have a small chance of getting fourth,” he said. “Tottenham and Manchester City can drop points in tough games, but of course it is going to be very difficult.
“I think the game with Fulham [a 0-0 draw at Anfield last week] was crucial, Liverpool needed to win every game until the end of the season – and most people thought the big one would be against Chelsea – so those dropped points have cost them.”
Despite their disappointing domestic campaign, however, Liverpool find themselves in with a chance of landing a trophy come May. They take on Spanish side Atletico Madrid in the Europa League semi-finals on Thursday night, and Rush believes the Reds’ quarter-final performance, in which they swept aside a much-fancied Benfica side 5-3 on aggregate, makes them favourites for the competition.
“I definitely think they can go all the way in the Europa League,” he revealed, “I thought before the quarter-final that whoever won out of Liverpool and Benfica would be favourites, and that hasn’t changed. I do believe Liverpool can go on and win it.
“It may not be the Champions League, but it’s still a trophy to win, and for the fans; they want to see Steven Gerrard lifting that trophy in Hamburg.”
Rush’s record at Anfield during his two spells at the club between 1980 and 1997 has guaranteed him a place amongst the pantheon of Liverpool legends, and the Welshman believes that the current owner of the Reds’ number 9 shirt, Fernando Torres, has what it takes to join him on that illustrious list, despite the series of injuries which have curtailed his campaign.
“Torres, of course, has been fantastic,” he said, “His scoring record and ratio is incredible, and of course when he doesn’t play he is a big miss. It really notices because he is such a special player, so it is a huge shame to see him suffer any injury."
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