Benitez has always maintained that Jose Reina is his first choice and with this in mind, is ready to let Carson quit Anfield.

A deal is in place for Carson's loan move to turn into a permanent arrangement, at a figure thought to be in the region of £10million, and it does now look as though his future lies away from Merseyside.

"You can understand that he wants to play. He knows Pepe Reina is top class and that it will be difficult for him to play here," said Benitez on the club's official website.

"Scott is a good professional and a nice boy. This is a crucial time in his career and he needs to play. At the moment we are concentrating on our own team and our own competitions, but Villa can decide if they want to keep the player.

"At the moment we have Pepe, Charles Itandje and David Martin as goalkeepers so we can manage the situation okay."