Rafa: Crouch not leaving

Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez has told Peter Crouch that he will be staying at the club for the forseeable future but he must perform better in order to secure himself a new contract.

Benitez said: "Peter knows how to win a new contract. He has to work really hard, play very well and score a lot of goals. So he has a chance to win a new contract because he can do all of this. For now, though, we have to win a lot of games and then we will talk about his future later on."

He added: "He does not play every game, but now with two games every week for some while he will get his chances to impress."

There are rumours that Peter Crouch may follow Steve McManaman's trend and bosman his way out of Liverpool. Benitez said however: "I do not think it will be the situation that he will walk away for nothing in 18 months, that will not happen. For now, though, I just want him to score more goals.

"The key is for him to score, play well and be happy. Then we will have the conversation about a contract."