Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has hailed the latest step towards the Anfield club being able to build their new stadium after the city council confirmed the leasing of land for the scheme.

Liverpool City Council's executive board yesterday rubber-stamped an early committee decision to allow Liverpool a 999-year lease on an area of the nearby Stanley Park to start work on the ground, now considered to be costing the Anfield club £180 million.

Benitez said: "It is very important that we have this new stadium to have more room for our fans. It will help us provide very important extra funds for our future, and it will help us to compete with clubs like Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal, the latter who have just opened their new stadium.

"We have fantastic support at Liverpool and the Kop is a very special place, but our capacity is just 45,000. It would be even better for everyone if we had 60,000 fans in the ground."

Benitez' views though do not touch on the true dilemma for Liverpool, who now must provide evidence by the end of the month they have the private capital to build the stadium.

If they do not do that they are in danger of losing European and UK government grants of around £15 million that will help build the infrastructure around the new stadium and help regenerate the north Liverpool area, a key component in the council's decision to grant them their lease.

As far as the council is now concerned, the last political hurdle has been overcome and the onus now is all on the club to show they have the money, a major stumbling block for the past five agonising years of negotiations.

The football club have constantly assured the council they will come up with the money, but the price has spiralled over the last few years, despite the club securing planning permission over a year ago.

Meanwhile, Aston Villa have offered a short-term deal to defender Didier Agathe who had previously played for manager Martin O'Neill at Celtic. The Frenchman has been training with Villa for the past three weeks.

Former Republic of Ireland defender Sean O'Driscoll has left Bournemouth to take over as the new manager of League Two rivals Doncaster.