Midfielder Alberto Aquilani has been included in the Liverpool squad for the League Cup fourth round tie at Arsenal on Wednesday evening.
Manager Rafa Benitez has explained that Aquilani won’t be starting the match though after just 15 minutes of reserve team action since signing this summer.
The 25 year old Italian was signed from Roma for £17m but initial assessments of his ankle injury proved wrong and he has been kept waiting for his Liverpool debut, having initially been expected back in September.
Benitez explained “He will be with us. He is improving his fitness, so he’s in the squad. He cannot start at this moment but he will be there and maybe we can give him some minutes. If it’s possible we will try to use him.”
Options
Benitez is clearly looking forward to having Aquilani fully fit and the options it will provide in midfield, “He is a different kind of player for us. We talk about using Gerrard deeper sometimes, but maybe in Aquilani we have a player who can play there and pass the ball really well in the final third.”
“We can see in every training session that he has quality, game intelligence and good movements.”
Patience
The player himself is also looking forward to his debut “I really want to play, but I need to be patient – I know the time will come for me.
“I will be very happy when I make my debut. This is my job, it’s what I am here to do, and I am looking forward to it.”
