Benitez picks his kids for fame

Rafa Benitez may not know where his destiny lies, but that hasn't stopped him planning for a brighter Anfield future.

Benitez: 'No-one at Liverpool has spoken to me about my future'  

Even while the Liverpool boss was admitting that he doesn't know if he will be at the club next season, he was revealing a new club policy to secure the best British talent of their generation.

The Reds confirmed yesterday the £1.7million capture of 17-year-old England youth international Jonjo Shelvey from Charlton, in a deal that could double in time.

That comes after the £500,000 signing of 15-year-old Raheem Sterling in another deal that could eventually rise past the £2m mark.

Another 15-year-old, David Moli, was signed from Luton, and Jamie Stephens, 16, was taken from Swindon for an undisclosed fee.

Benitez said: "We have to plan for the future and I told the club we had to sign Shelvey because it would be good for that.

"I don't want to keep talking about my future because I want to concentrate on Atletico, but we signed him because it is my responsibility to do what is best for the future of the club.

"We have been working for years to sign players like this. I was trying to sign Gareth Barry before and Glen Johnson was the same idea - we were trying to bring in British players with passion.

"Players who could feel what Liverpool means for them. Shelvey is one of these and we have two or three names ready so we will try to do the best for the club.

"We have this long-term plan in place and we will try to follow the plan."