JERMAINE DISAPPOINTED BY ENGLAND SNUB

Jermaine Pennant has revealed his frustration after being overlooked for a place in the England squad.
Pennant had been hoping an improved second half of the season and an excellent display in the Champions League final could help him force his way into Steve McClaren's plans, but the England coach instead opted to hand David Beckham an international recall for the double header with Brazil and Estonia next week. "I'd have hoped I was knocking on the England door because if you are not knocking on the door after playing in a Champions League final for Liverpool then there must be something wrong," he said. "The Champions League has been good for me as a player and I wasn't at all fazed to have played in the final. It would have been a great pick up to be selected by England so I'm desperately disappointed. "After a few problems, the last season was a real turnaround and to have played in the Champions League final and finish third in the Premiership I couldn't have expected anymore. Being picked for the England games would have been a good way to end the season."

REDS AGREE DOUBLE HUNGARIAN SWOOP

Liverpool have moved swiftly to bolster their reserve ranks by agreeing deals to sign Hungarian pair Krisztian Nemeth and Andras Simon from MTK Hungaria.
Nemeth, 18, and Simon, 17, appeared for Hungary in last year's UEFA Under-17 Championships. The duo are both strikers, although Nemeth also plays in midfield.

DEFEAT WILL MAKE US STRONGER

Jamie Carragher could not contain his disappointment after losing the Champions League final to AC Milan but insisted the team has a burning desire to come back stronger next season and challenge for more honours.
The Reds centre half felt there wasn't much between the teams on the night but admitted the disappointment of losing the match was hard to take. "We are devastated but hopefully the defeat will make us stronger and we will be back next season," said Carragher. "While it's hard to take losing a final, at the same time we've got to hold our hands up and give great credit to AC Milan who are a great side. "We enjoyed the celebrations of winning it two years ago so we have a lot of respect for Milan and we will move on from this. "Their first goal was a bit fortuitous and I should have cleared the ball better than what I did and it then put Xabi Alonso under pressure to clear the ball. At this level the smallest detail counts. "I didn't think there was much in the game and we had a good chance with Stevie but unfortunately we couldn't score. "I didn't think Milan had a lot of chances and I thought we played very well in the second half but no-one will remember that and it's Milan's night. "I thought we handled Kaka as well as any team has done in this tournament and Mascherano put in a few great challenges on him. He set up their second goal but he is always going to cause any team problems because he is the best player in the world. "Our fans were probably the man of the match again and full credit to them. We are just devastated we couldn't bring the cup back for them."

GONZALEZ SET TO LEAVE REDS

Mark Gonzalez is set to leave Liverpool for Real Betis after one season at the club.
Rafa Benitez today confirmed the two sides had "almost" reached an agreement over the Chilean winger. Bolo Zenden, whose contract expires in the summer, has also been told he can talk to other clubs. Benitez said: "I was talking with him before and I said he could talk with other teams. He knows the situation. "It's clear some players will leave. We almost have an agreement with Real Betis for Mark Gonzalez."

RUTHLESS RAFA STARTS PURGE

Less than 24 hours after Liverpool's Champions League final failure, boss Rafael Benitez is already planning his clear-out.
The Liverpool boss has told midfielder Bolo Zenden he is free to talk to other clubs with his contract due to expire, while Chile winger Mark Gonzalez is on the brink of a £5m move to Real Betis.
And with offers likely to be on the table for striker Craig Bellamy, who could not even get off the bench in Wednesday night's 2-1 defeat here by AC Milan, the Welsh forward could also have played his last game for the club.
With Robbie Fowler and Jerzy Dudek already released, this is just the start of a major overhaul of Benitez's squad.
More will soon follow with the Spanish manager having told the club's new owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett that it will need £100million-plus to revamp a squad that finished third in the Premiership, but were 21 points behind champions Manchester United.
Benitez has already outlined his plans to the new regime, and he was brutally frank in outlining Liverpool's future this morning at the team hotel ahead of the flight back to Merseyside.
He said: "We must not waste this moment. We must move quickly to sign our number-one targets.
"If we wait we will be chasing the players who are second and third on our list. We need to change the structure of the club on and off the pitch.
"We must make progress, and make it now to take us up two or three levels straight away."
Benitez has his scouting department working overtime, despite the fact that the club's chief scout Frank McParland is joining Bolton and former Liverpool coach Sammy Lee.
But Benitez will not want to mark time in the wake of the Athens defeat, and he said: "There will be several players leaving. We will wait for offers.
"I have been told by the new owners that they will back my plans. But when you look at the champions Manchester United spending £20million on a midfield player, and we have been paying just £8-to-£9million for our strikers, you know what must be done.
"We must spend big and spend now. Our fans know what we need to do and so do I. We need to pay the price needed for each position.
"We have a deal nearly completed for Gonzalez and I have told Bolo (Zenden) that he can talk to other clubs. We know the situation we have now.
"We have finished 21 points behind United and 15 behind Chelsea.
"They will both spend big money again and we will just be marking time. If we continue the way we are we will be fighting for fourth spot again at the end of the season, and we cannot have that all the time."
He added: "Everybody can see what we must do to compete at the top level and we must move as quickly as possible not to lose this opportunity.
"Two seasons ago we got 82 points, a club record, and we could not get into the top two. If we do not improve now we will always be fighting for fourth spot.
"It is obvious we do not have enough players for nine months competing in four competitions."

BENITEZ QUICK TO SEEK MORE CASH

Rafael Benitez has warned new owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks they will need to spend some serious money if Liverpool are to stand a realistic chance of meaningful silverware next season.
Whether the Merseyside giants won or lost the Champions League final, Benitez always knew it would be a summer of rebuilding at Anfield.
But the 2-1 defeat by AC Milan in the Olympic Stadium has only strengthened his resolve ahead of a key strategy meeting with Gillett and Hicks to pinpoint Liverpool's plans for the future.
"If we want to be contenders next season and back in the Champions League final, we need to improve the squad," he said.
"When you see the quality of some of the other teams, it is clear.
"It is not easy to find the right players.
"Manchester United just spent £20million on Owen Hargreaves, so we know what the market situation is.
"But if we want to be close to United and Chelsea and to have another chance in the Champions League, we need to go two steps at a time. I hope I get the backing to do that."
So minor were the differences in Wednesday night's encounter it could be argued Benitez does not have that much work to do.
Had Steven Gerrard or Jermaine Pennant taken the chances which fell their way before Filippo Inzaghi's fortuitous opener, when he deflected Andrea Pirlo's free-kick past Pepe Reina, Liverpool could easily have landed their sixth European Cup.
But once the Reds adopted a more offensive approach as they chased the game in the latter stages, Milan were able to find the gaps to cut them open a second time, Kaka feeding Inzaghi for a fine second.
Benitez brought on Peter Crouch for Javier Mascherano and admitted: "It allowed us to take more risks in attack but then we lost control of the midfield.
"Unfortunately, when you do that against a side like Milan, they can kill you with one opportunity. It only takes one pass from Kaka and that is what happened."
Dirk Kuyt's close-range header in the final minute did raise hopes of a comeback equally as unlikely as the one Liverpool produced against Milan in Istanbul two years ago.
This time Benitez's side were thwarted, not helped by German referee Herbert Fandel, who failed to play the full three minutes of injury time even though Milan made a substitution which should have added another 30 seconds on.
Clearly unhappy, Benitez made his feelings known to Fandel and the new UEFA president Michel Platini as he went up to collect his loser's medal.
"It is not an excuse but I am disappointed," said Benitez.
"After Dirk scored, we were confident we could get another but I was surprised by the lack of time we were given.
"It could have made a difference but in the end, I suppose you need to score in the 90 minutes."

ANGEL OF THE NORTH

JERMAINE PENNANT believes that a Champions League Final appearance is his reward for becoming an "angel".
The Liverpool winger has made a determined effort this season to clean up his act, after controversy blighted his career.
Pennant was kicked out of Arsenal for his wild lifestyle and was sent to prison while with Birmingham on a drink driving charge. But he has changed his ways since arriving at Anfield last summer for £6million.
And now he wants to enjoy a change in fortunes that has brought about the first major final appearance of his career.
"It's been a big year for me. I arrived here with a question mark hanging over my head and probably a reputation as someone who gets into trouble - but I've been like an angel," Pennant said.
"I've not had one bit of bother in my Liverpool career and I'm proud of that. I've had a lot to prove to people here since July and I think I've done it.
"I seemed to be getting a better press in the second half of the season and I'd say it's because I've answered a lot of my critics."
Pennant has found his form and is pushing for a starting place in the final against AC Milan on May 23, despite the manager's liking of Steven Gerrard on the right.
Pennant explained that Rafael Benitez tested him throughout the season and he is confident that he has come through the trial to establish himself as a player who can be relied on.
"Even within the club I feel like I've been tested," he said. "The manager likes to keep you on your toes and make sure you don't get too comfortable or ahead of yourself.
"I felt earlier on in the season that in some games I'd played I'd done well enough to keep my place in the side. But I would be on the bench in the next game. "The manager likes rotation but I believe they were tests of what I was made of.
"I'm sure the manager was warned about what type of person I was and I think he was looking to see how I'd react.
"I kept my head down and just worked harder in training and games. I think that's why I'm hitting form now. The boss knows he can trust me on and off the field."
Skipper Gerrard, meanwhile, has revealed the hunger that drives everyone at Anfield.
He said: "The Champions League is the biggest and we want to succeed. Istanbul was the best night of my footballing life and I want to match it in Athens. I don't care how we do it, even if it's a boring 1-0 win."
Benitez has appointed former Liverpool great Phil Neal to the role of new academy supremo at Anfield.