Benitez: Voronin will struggle to start
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Benitez: Voronin will struggle to start
Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has warned forgotten striker Andriy Voronin that he will struggle for first-team opportunities next season.
The Ukrainian international, who has been capped 57 times, has made just 19 league appearances for the Reds since arriving from Bayer Leverkusen in 2007.
The 29-year-old spent last season on loan at Bundesliga outfit Hertha Berlin, where he netted 11 times in 20 league outings.
But, rather than join the German outfit on a permanent basis, Voronin has insisted he wants to stay on Merseyside in 2009/10 and fight for his place as the Reds attempt to win their maiden Premier League crown.
And although Benitez has praised the front-man's efforts last term, he warned him that he may have to be content with a place on the substitutes' bench for large parts of the campaign.
“He did really well in Germany last season, scoring plenty of goals, and he has told me that he wants to stay at the club and fight for his position,” Benitez told Sky Sports.
“I have told him that will be difficult with Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard as our first-choice strikers, but he realises this and the players we have in the squad.
“But he also knows that this club always plays more than 60 games a season and that means there are opportunities.
“He is continuing to work hard and is playing well, so he will have a chance. It is good to have him back.”