Gillett and Gerrard hand Benitez double boost

Rafael Benitez’s position as Liverpool manager has been bolstered by an unequivocal expression of support from the club’s co-owner George Gillett and by assurances from Steven Gerrard that he has no plans to quit Anfield.

With Liverpool embroiled in a four-club scrap to secure a top four finish in the Premier League and a return to the Champions League next season, Benitez’s leadership has been subjected to critical scrutiny by pundits, some Liverpool fans and former players.

But Gillett, who has in the past been less enthusiastic in his support for Benitez than co-owner Tom Hicks, has made it clear there are no plans to remove the manager, describing Liverpool’s current woes as a temporary blip.

“We believe if you were to put a list together of the top five coaches, managers in the world, he would definitely be on that list for us,” Gillett told Canadian radio station Prime Time Sports.

“And we think he’s been tossed a curve ball by circumstance, injuries and so forth.

“I think that’s been a real challenge to the coach. He’s had to really make some innovations and play some players out of position and so forth.

“And notwithstanding that, they’ve generally played with a lot of passion. I really believes it’s a blip.”

Gillett’s comments came ahead of a potentially pivotal match between Liverpool and Tottenham at Anfield on Wednesday evening.

Recent weeks have seen a flurry of reports suggesting that Gerrard, the club captain, and main striker Fernando Torres will both be sold if Liverpool fail to edge out Spurs, Manchester City and Aston Villa in the race for fourth place.

There have also been persistent claims that Gerrard was involved in a dressing room bust-up with members of Benitez’s coaching staff at half-time in Liverpool’s FA Cup defeat by Reading last week.

But the England midfielder, who has turned down previous opportunities to leave his hometown club, emphatically denied that there was any substance to the stories.

“I’ve heard about a dozen versions of the same rumour and they?re all as daft as each other,” Gerrard told Liverpool’s Daily Post.

“If anyone thinks this nonsense unsettles either me or the club then they’re mistaken. If anything it’s brought everyone even closer together because we’ve all had a good laugh about it.”

On the transfer rumours, Gerrard added: “All the stories about me leaving are unfounded. The fans can be assured I’m doing all I can to get back to top form and help Liverpool finish the season on a high.”

Gerrard, Torres and Israeli star Yossi Benayoun were all set to miss the Tottenham match through injury.