Hicks effectively told Benitez to forget transfer talk and focus on coaching, but the Reds manager said: "He has my plan and he was very pleased with my plan, so for me, it was surprise. I tried to explain to him, but it was a surprise.

"When I was talking to Mr Hicks and also to Mr Gillett, they were really, really happy and they were trying to improve everything, so it was a surprise to me that something had changed in the last two weeks.

"As a manager, you must try to manage your squad and prepare your team, your club, for the future.

"That means to sign players like (Andriy) Voronin, or to sign players like the two options we have at this moment.

"If we cannot do it now, okay, we will not do it now, but maybe later, it will be more expensive.

"I am the manager of the club. I am talking about the team and about the squad because it is my responsibility to do the best for my team.

"I am focusing on training and winning games for my supporters. The new owners, they want the best for the club, and me too."