Benitez denies pushing Owen out

SOCCER: Rafael Benitez last night denied that Michael Owen was forced to leave Anfield while suggesting that the England striker's agent had engineered the move to Real Madrid behind Liverpool's back.

Owen passed his medical in Madrid yesterday and is expected to be unveiled as a Real Madrid player today, with Liverpool receiving a fee of £8 million and the right-sided midfielder Antonio Nunez in return.

The 24-year-old striker is expected to be unveiled at the Bernabeu next week, though the role played by his agent Tony Stephens has left Liverpool's new manager smouldering back on Merseyside.

"To suggest that we didn't want Michael and he was not happy here is untrue," said Benitez, who will take charge of his first Premiership match at Tottenham Hotspur this lunchtime. "Michael was very happy when I spoke with him last week and we wanted him to stay, but the club had been waiting for a year already when I arrived for him to sign a new contract. Two months later he still had not signed.

"The problem is Real were aware of that too and talked with his agent and the player, and then everything changed. I'm sure the club talked about the contract and tried to sign him up, but sometimes you can't control it.

"It's down to the agents. In football now, the agent controls many situations. I knew Michael was a wonderful player and I have no doubts he still is, but the situation changed as soon as Real came in. Then the situation was difficult to control, and bad for us."

Asked whether he thought Stephens, of the SFX agency, had been negotiating with Real Madrid behind Liverpool's back, the Spaniard responded pointedly: "You'll have to ask the agent that."

Stephens returned to work after a protracted sabbatical only in spring, by which time Liverpool's offer of a new deal for the England striker had effectively been on the table for eight months. Talks failed to reach agreement, with Owen happy to move on once Real's interest surfaced.

The loss of England's premier striker represents a worrying start to the Benitez era, though the Spaniard intends to use the £8 million fee to strengthen his squad. Barcelona's Luis Garcia is expected to move to Anfield for £6 million but Benitez will face competition, ironically from Madrid, for Real Sociedad's Xabi Alonso after the collapse of Patrick Vieira's proposed move to the Bernabeu.

The Madrid president Florentino Perez contacted the Basque club yesterday to re-register their interest in the midfielder, though their £6 million bid falls short of Real Sociedad's £10 million valuation.

The new recruits will have to impress quickly if Benitez is to make the desired impact, though there was defiance yesterday from the manager in the face of a difficult start at the club.

"When a big club like Liverpool changes manager it is because something isn't right," said Benitez, who was forced to sell his midfielder Gaizka Mendieta to Lazio on taking up the reins at Valencia in 2001. "It is because things need to change.

"You never enjoy seeing good players leave, but my job is to make decisions like that. People should judge me at the end of the season.

"I'm not afraid. All teams around the world lose important players. You have to look to the future. We have the opportunity to try and balance the team. The supporters should know we have done the best for the club. There'll hopefully be good news for them next week. We can be a stronger team."

Nunez will provide balance and bite on the right side of midfield, an area weakened by the sale of Danny Murphy to Charlton, with the Spaniard (25) expected on Merseyside on Monday to undergo a medical. Though Liverpool's first choice as a makeweight in the Owen deal would have been the teenager Juanfran, Benitez is confident Nunez can flourish in England.

"Right midfield was our priority," added Benitez. "Juanfran would have been difficult to sign, but Nunez was one of our first choices. He can run with the ball down that side, get to the line and he's good in the air. He'll be a good signing.

Nunez himself said: "I'm still stunned, even though I knew about Liverpool's interest last week. I'm going there to be a first-team regular and to win important trophies."

Of Owen, Benitez said: "I think Jose Antonio Camacho will be happy with Michael and the strikers he has now. Which one to pick is a good problem to have. It will be difficult for Michael to get into the starting line-up. It's always difficult when you change your country, language, team. But he has an advantage because he is a good player. He can talk on the field."

Everton chairman Bill Kenwright has come up with £20 million of new investment for the club which will win the war for control of Goodison Park that has been waged with director Paul Gregg.

PSV Eindhoven defender Jurgen Colin's proposed season-long loan to Everton collapsed. The Dutch club's website had earlier reported that the deal was "closed" but Everton later said the move would not go ahead. "At the present time the deal is off," Everton manager David Moyes said.

Meanwhile, Middlesbrough manager Steve McClaren is to continue his role in the England coaching set-up, the English FA said yesterday.

McClaren, who first held the post during England's run to the 2002 World Cup before standing down to concentrate on his club career, had been recalled as a temporary stop-gap for Euro 2004 after Brian Kidd had treatment for cancer.

The FA also announced yesterday that David Dein has lost his position as vice-chairman of the association. The Arsenal vice-chairman was told he could no longer remain in the post he has held since February 2000 due to restructuring.

Birmingham manager Steve Bruce has signed a new five-year contract with his club.

Teenage Celtic goalkeeper David Marshall has been named in the Scotland squad for their friendly with Hungary at Hampden Park on Wednesday.