Rafa Benitez today
admitted he was 'really pleased' after Steven
Gerrard was found not guilty of affray at Liverpool Crown
Court.
Benitez learned of the decision
during a training session in the national stadium of
Singapore.
"We are really pleased," said the boss. "He is very important for
us and he can now focus just on football.
"We are all pleased at the club and over here at the training
camp.
"We have been supporting him all the time and were just waiting for
the decision. Now he can concentrate just on football and hopefully
play at the same level as last year."
On leaving court earlier today, Gerrard said: "I'm glad to put this
case behind me. I'm really looking forward to the season ahead and
concentrating on football.
"I'd like to say a big thank you to my legal team, my friends and
family and everyone at Liverpool Football Club for supporting
me."
Meanwhile, back in Singapore Benitez welcomed back Yossi Benayoun
and Xabi Alonso
to full training this evening,
but Glen
Johnson missed the session
with an Achilles problem.
"We have to be careful with Glen because he is still feeling his
Achilles," added the boss.
"I was very happy to have Yossi and Xabi back. They were working
very hard, the tempo of the session was fantastic and the fans
really enjoyed it.
"We are trying to step up our training every day, especially for
the international players. Today we had three teams playing against
each other. It was good competition and pleasing for me to
see."
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