Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez interrupted his weekly press conference to declare he would be interested in succeeding Steve McClaren as England manager.

Having apparently been rebuffed in his request for substantial sums to be made available for the January transfer window, Benitez was 35 minutes late for his appearance in front of the press.

When he finally showed, The Guardian claims he was still 'visibly shaken' from his earlier talks with George Gillett and Tom Hicks.

According to The Daily Mail, a 'frustrated' Benitez is 'ready to tell Gillett and Hicks to dig deep or consider whether they should start looking for a new manager.'

'Liverpool's co-owners will sit down with Benitez when they visit Anfield for the December 16 showdown with Manchester United and it promises to be as fiery off the pitch as on it after the manager made little secret yesterday of the rift that has developed in recent weeks.'

On Thursday, Benitez used the new vacancy at Soho Square to turn up the heat on his bosses by claiming he would be interested in becoming England manager.

"Maybe I could be (McClaren's replacement) if I improve my English," he announced.

Later, apparently piqued at the laughter his declaration had produced, Benitez told reporters: "I was being serious. You never know what can happen in the future."

Otherwise, the Spaniard was in reticent mood, refusing to give any indication of his commitment to Liverpool. In various interviews for television, radio and the written press, The Guardian calculates that he used the phrase "I am focused on training and coaching my team" a total of 15 times.

Hours later, speculation that a rift had grown between Benitez and the club's owners was heightened by Gillet and Hicks sanctioning the publication of a statement endorsing their own spending record.

"We made a significant investment in the playing squad during the summer and desperately want this team to succeed," it read.

"There are some very important games coming up in the next couple of weeks and all of us need to focus on winning those games and getting the best out of the players we already have at the club. We will leave any talk of buying or selling players until we come across to Liverpool in December and sit down with the manager then."

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