"He has quality, he is very clever, his touch is very good, he has mobility, he is dynamic and the final pass is very good," says the manager. "We were looking for someone with these qualities.

"He was playing in a 4-2-3-1 as a second striker for Roma sometimes, on other times he played as a central midfielder, so he can play with any combination of Lucas, Mascherano and Gerrard.

"He is a different kind of player to the ones that we have now because he can pass and move, pass and move, support and he can give the final pass."

Aquilani has been among many squad members to have suffered major injury problems this season.

Steven Gerrard stepped up his quest for full fitness with another 89 minutes against Debrecen in midweek following a full shift in the 2-2 draw with Manchester City last weekend.

And Benitez has warned Everton that the skipper is gradually getting back to his best.

"I think that the first week Gerrard was trying to do his best, but he was not physically at his level," he says. "Then for the last game I was really worried because he was working hard before and he was not physically well. The pitch was also very soft against Debrecen, but he did well.

"I’m sure that after these four days before we play Everton that he will be even better. He has no problems and he will get better every week."

Gerrard was one of several players to sound their defiance in the wake of Liverpool’s Champions League elimination on Tuesday night, with Benitez enthused by the reaction of his players to the disappointment.

"After the game – that we won, don’t forget that – everyone was disappointed but we knew 15 days before that this could happen," says the Spaniard.

"I was talking with some players the day after and the reaction was very good, very positive.

"Against Everton we have an opportunity in an important game. A derby is a derby so the passions will be there and it will be easier for me to motivate the players.

"The only way now is to improve because we know that the situation is not fantastic but we can improve just by winning one game.

"But I must stress that after a bad start to the season we are five points off third place so in one or two games we could be there again."