Rafa Benitez is running out of patience with costly misfit Alberto Aquilani after appearing to doubt the validity of his latest ankle injury.
The £17million signing from Roma sat out the first three months of his ill-fated Liverpool career, due to the after-effects of ankle surgery, and is unlikely to play again this season after reporting more ankle trouble.
As he reflected on another prolonged absence for the injury-jinxed Italy midfielder, Benitez made it plain he was beginning to sense mental frailty might pose a bigger threat to Aquilani’s Anfield prospect than a suspect ankle.
Already beset by fitness problems during his Serie A days, the 25-year-old’s slender frame has looked even less suited to the more punishing demands of the Barclays Premier League in his handful of Liverpool appearances so far.
Benitez appears to be coming round to the same view after questioning his pain threshold and seemingly leaving the door open for a summer return to Italy.
‘He was complaining of some pain in his ankle, and he said he couldn’t train,’ said the Liverpool manager, after Thursday night’s 2-1 defeat at Benfica. ‘We will have to talk to the doctors when we get back to see what is going on, because at the moment, we don’t know.
‘Does he think he needs another operation? We don’t know. He has some pain, and we will have to analyse that with the doctor. It is the same ankle as before. Some players can manage with pain, but not all. There are some players who cannot, when they have pain. When you talk of pain, you never know. It depends on the individual, and that can make it really difficult.’
