Rafa urged to field pricey Italian

Under-fire Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez has warned the club’s fans not to view big-money signing Alberto Aquilani as an immediate solution to the Anfield crisis. The club have lost four successive matches, their worst run in 22 years. To make matters worse, they head into Sunday’s clash with Manchester United with injuries to key players Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres. Aquilani, the £20m Italian midfielder signed from Roma, is yet to feature for the club due to an ankle injury. He did however play in a Liverpool shirt for the first time on Wednesday night in the reserves. The club’s fans are now urging Benitez to field the 25-year-old against United. But Benitez insists Aquilani needs time to settle. "When will he play? It depends on how he is physically. He has got good levels of stamina but now he has to improve his sharpness," cautioned Benitez.