Liverpool take firm stance on Gerrard

RAFAEL BENITEZ yesterday unveiled €9 million striker Fernando Morientes and insisted that Steven Gerrard had not been used as a bargaining tool to land the Spanish international.

The Liverpool chief will play Morientes today against Manchester United, and he was quick to rubbish reports from Spain claiming Real Madrid had privately secured first option on Gerrard should he ever leave Anfield.

It has been a constant theme of Madrid's demands for weeks but one which Benitez continues to say has not been granted. With Liverpool's arch rivals arriving at Anfield for a crucial game, Benitez once again dismissed the claims: "The arrival of Morientes does not mean the departure of Steven Gerrard."