New Delhi: Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez has discussed Steven Gerrard's injury in the context of his forced withdrawal from Fabio Capello's England squad - and spoken of the qualities of his captain, saying he could become Liverpool manager in the future.
The Liverpool manager has praised Gerrard on the eve of the 10th anniversary of his captain's debut for the club.
And the Spanish tactician has even suggested that Gerrard could succeed him as manager of the Reds one day.
Gerrard will miss Saturday's home game against Fulham, and is a doubt for the Reds' Champions League clash with Marseille next week. That is something Liverpool want the England management to take note of, after they insisted Gerrard went down to Watford to have his muscle injury verified after he withdrew from the Three Lions squad to face Germany.
According to the Belfast Telegraph, Liverpool privately believe their honesty was being questioned by the FA, and are annoyed that Gerrard missed a day of treatment that may have accelerated his recovery.
However, on a more positive note, the club are celebrating the fact that Gerrard made his Liverpool debut 10 years ago next week as a substitute against Blackburn Rovers.
Talking about the 28-year-old skipper's injury, Benitez told the Belfast Telegraph on Friday: "It is simple. He is not fit and he cannot play. Maybe he’ll be ready for Marseille.
"We know the rules and respect them. But I prefer now not to think of this because there are no more internationals for a while. But we were right. Gerrard cannot play, so we were right when we said he was injured.
"It is too soon to say how long Steven will be out. But if we have an extra day of treatment, maybe he will be ready for the Champions League."
He added: "There’s no problem between me and Fabio Capello, I am not unhappy with him. But the best news now is that there are no internationals until March.
"I am happy with that situation, and happy to be able to concentrate on my team. Were we unhappy that Steven had to go to the England hotel? All I can say is that he is not fit and will not play for us against Fulham.
"That is the only thing important for me. We cannot change the situation and Steven is not available, that’s it."
Benitez then lavished praise on Gerrard, saying: "Everyone can see how good he is on the pitch. As a person he is a nice lad, you can see his commitment to the club. Everything is positive and hopefully he can win more trophies.
"Maybe he will be here for another 10 years, certainly five or six. It is not easy to stay with one club. Life in general is very different than before, clubs can offer a lot of money.
"I am really pleased to have kept Gerrard here, and maybe he will one day be the manager to replace me.
"There are more important things than money in Steven’s mind. He has great passion for the club, he loves the club and the city.
"That is the key as far as he is concerned, and hopefully he will take over from me."
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