Benitez bemused by Heinze hold up

A huge row has erupted over the Manchester United defender's future after Liverpool matched the Red Devils' £6.8million asking price, only to have the bid rejected.

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If that was not enough, Sir Alex Ferguson forcibly stated there was 'no chance' of Heinze moving to Anfield, hinting United were investigating the possibility that Liverpool had made an illegal approach for the player.

Yet Benitez, a relative newcomer to spats between the fierce north-west rivals, cannot understand what the fuss is about.

The Liverpool coach, like every other major club in Europe he claims, received documentation, signed by a senior United official, confirming Heinze's availability.

"A lot of clubs, in many different countries, knew what the situation was," he said.

"I do not know what the problem is. We made an offer, they rejected it. I know what they are saying to the press but everyone in the world knows they (United) signed a document."

Benitez is clearly still interested in making Heinze the first player to switch directly between United and Liverpool since Phil Chisnall moved to Merseyside in 1964.

Privately, he feels United have made a mistake in not lodging their opposition to Heinze moving to Liverpool in the official documentation and the current procrastination from the Old Trafford outfit - based 40 miles across the South China Sea in Macau - is merely an elaborate attempt to make up for their mistake.

The matter now appears to rest with Heinze and his lawyers, with the 29-year-old, who is expected back in training within a fortnight, left to decide whether to launch a legal fight against his current employers.

The tit-for-tat battle somewhat overshadowed Liverpool's 3-1 win over South China in the semi-final of the Barclays Asia Cup.

John Arne Riise lashed home a free-kick, while Xabi Alonso and Daniel Agger were also on target for the Reds, who booked a final meeting with Portsmouth on Friday.

The victory delighted a capacity 38,000-crowd at the Hong Kong Stadium, although there was some disappointment at the absence of Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres and Ryan Babel.

Gerrard, Benitez revealed, is suffering from a slight stomach strain, but Torres and Babel failed to gain international clearance after their summer transfers and therefore spent the entire 90 minutes as frustrated spectators.

"Hopefully we can sort something out for Friday so they can both play," said Benitez, who found himself so short of numbers he finished with Sami Hyypia in central midfield.

"I don't exactly know what the problem is but we need to find a solution."

Benitez also introduced Harry Kewell, who has been absent on Asian Cup duty with Australia.

The winger did quite well in the first half but as he tired in the second, Benitez opted to take him off to prevent the possibility of injury.

"I knew Harry would be fitter than the other players because he has been training and playing in games," he said.

"He was really good in the first half but after that he had some problems and he started to get tired, so I took him off, just in case."