New Portsmouth winger Jermaine Pennant has launched a bitter anti-English attack on his Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez. Pennant has joined Pompey on-loan and will come off contract in June. He rapped: "I am looking forward to Tony Adams speaking English.

"Last season I played 34 games and in a Champions League final the previous year for Rafa but now he has had a change of plans. I don't know if it is the English mentality he dislikes but there are not a lot of English players at Liverpool. I have mentioned that before when I was at Arsenal so I have not had much luck with foreign managers.

"It seems very strange to go from playing every week to training on my own on Saturday afternoons. But that is Rafa for you and I don't think half the players at Liverpool can work him out.

"I have been speaking to a lot of the other Liverpool players and they could not understand why I was not being selected, especially in the games at home where they have struggled to win.

"It was the same with Peter Crouch and he had to get away too. I spoke to Crouchie a lot before I came here and he told me to join Portsmouth. He said Tony would give me more chances to play."

The Nottingham-born star was a £6.7million signing from Birmingham in July 2006. He played 81 games for Liverpool but only started twice this season.

Pennant, 26, who makes his debut against Swansea today, has the option of a permanent move in the summer. But he could yet join AC Milan or Real Madrid.

He added: "It is weird I cannot get into Liverpool's team but Real Madrid want me.

"It is very flattering to be linked with a club of their size because they are one of the best teams in the world. I did not speak to Madrid directly but my agent may have done. I did not speak to Milan either but again my agent may have.

"I'm here for six months because I want regular football. It would be a great experience to play abroad and I'm not ruling it out."