Hicks, who approached Jurgen Klinsmann to replace Benitez, finally broke his silence on Sunday to insist the Anfield chief has his full support and will stay in charge for years.

And Benitez believes the new-found stability after Hicks and George Gillett ended speculation that they were about to sell the club will spark a dramatic change in fortunes.

He insisted: "It's vital for everybody to talk about football now and maybe the support the owners have given can help that.

"I know that will put the spotlight back on me but people have been looking at me for months. We know results haven't been good enough and we need to improve but I also know we are close.

"I'm positive we'll improve because of the players we have."