SOCCER:ROBBIE KEANE, unveiled yesterday as a new Liverpool player, explained that his decision to leave Tottenham for the club he has supported since childhood was prompted by the fear that at 28 it was a chance that was unlikely to come around again.

"The last four years have been great for me and I believe I am at my peak," he said. "I am at a good age and if I didn't come to Liverpool now, maybe the opportunity wouldn't come again. As it is, it has worked out perfectly for me and, hopefully, for Liverpool as well."

The Dubliner likened himself to a kid on Christmas Eve as he had arrived at the club the previous day with the intention of signing and expressed excitement at the prospect of partnering Fernando Torres in the team's attack now that the deal is done. And while he admitted he can't really remember the last time the club won a league title - he was just nine back in May 1990 - he is well enough attuned to the club's history, he insisted, to feel honoured at inheriting the number seven shirt.

"I am very excited with the prospect of playing alongside Torres," he said. "He is probably the best striker in the world. He's been a revelation since he arrived in the Premier League and I am looking forward to playing alongside him.

"I had a great understanding and relationship with Dimitar (Berbatov) at Spurs, and I hope myself and Fernando can have that sort of relationship and score plenty of goals.

"I definitely think the way Fernando plays and the way I play we will suit each other," he added. "It's kind of like the way it worked with Berbatov and myself with a big lad and a smaller lad alongside him. Fernando is really good in the air and I try to come off and drop into the hole so we'll complement each other.

"It's easy saying that, though. It's all about doing it and I'm sure we will both work hard together to make it work. I've spoken to the manager briefly, not in any major detail or anything, but from my point of view it's up to me to prove that I can play every week.

"By no means am I naive enough to think I'm going to walk into Liverpool Football Club and play straight away."

Asked about his squad number, he was equally enthusiastic. "I know what a special shirt it is and what it means to everyone associated with the club," he said. "So I just hope I can do it justice. Being a Liverpool fan, I know all about the status that goes with the number seven and to come here and be given the opportunity to wear that shirt is great for me.

"I'm not going to worry about pressure or anything like that, though. I'm not the kind of person who lets things like that get to me. I am the way I am and I would never try to compare myself with someone like Peter Beardsley or Kenny Dalglish.

"They were fantastic players and they are legends at this club, but hopefully I can do well in my own right and do justice to the shirt and myself."

Rafael Benitez's immediate intentions for the Irishman were not entirely clear yesterday but Keane certainly seemed to be hoping he might make his debut in the friendly against Villarreal this evening with the club's €24 million recruit insisting he is, "raring to go".

He described the prospect of running out at Anfield, where he scored twice for Spurs last season, as a Liverpool player as a dream and it is one that is likely to come true on August 8th when Lazio come to England for a pre-season friendly.

How well he will have settled by then remains to be seen but Benitez is clearly confident that he can justify the size of the fee Spurs obtained over the coming seasons.

"We are pleased he is here," enthused the Spaniard. "Robbie is one of the very best forwards in the Premier League. He is settled and more than used to the requirements. He is a good professional with a solid mentality, obviously I am pleased he is here, other managers would say the same.

"Robbie can play alongside (Fernando) Torres and (Dirk) Kuyt, and also (Steven) Gerrard. He is clever and is the right kind of player. If you play 4-4-2, Keane can play alongside Torres. If we play 4-2-3-1 he can play as a second striker or on the right.

"We have known he was a good player for a long time," continued the coach. "The goals he scored against us just underlined what we already knew. We wanted the player, he said he was a Liverpool fan and wanted to come here. We are happy, our fans are happy."

Benitez has also confirmed he must sell again to bring Gareth Barry to Liverpool. The Liverpool manager insists that is what he aims to do, but he has no intention of selling Spain international Alvaro Arbeloa (25).

Liverpool are believed to have had a €8.8 million bid from Sevilla but Benitez has made it clear the player is going nowhere, despite speculation Arbeloa wants to return to Spain for personal reasons.