Benitez lets Carson go to help his England dream

The Liverpool boss initially refused to sanction Carson's departure, despite a plea from the 21-year-old that he needed regular first-team football to keep alive his dream of graduating from England Under 21s to the senior starting line-up.

Villa for a year: Scott Carson

Adamant that he needed two proven keepers for chasing honours on four fronts, Benitez seemed unlikely to yield until unexpectedly giving Carson permission to join Aston Villa on a season-long loan - although Premier League regulations will not allow him to face Liverpool in the season's opener .

Lens keeper Charles Itandje was signed as replacement just before last night's deadline for registering Champions League squads, but Benitez admitted he could still be jeopardising Liverpool's prospects by allowing Carson to pursue his goal of dislodging Tottenham's Paul Robinson should

England reach the Euro 2008 Finals.

Backing his £1million bargain buy from Leeds to reap the benefits of more sustained Premiership action after a similar loan spell with

Charlton last season, Benitez said: "It could be a bit of a risk if anything happens to Pepe Reina but we are thinking about Scott with this.

"I understand his argument. He needs to be playing every week, because he has ambitions about playing for England which I feel he can fulfil. This is very positive for him and it could be for us because we could end up having England's No 1 keeper on our books.

"I could easily have insisted that he stayed but perhaps this is a way of looking after the interests of him and the club. When we signed him I felt he could go on to be the England No 1. By giving him the chance of regular Premier League football again the progression can continue.

Liverpool for six years: Torres

"I told him I understood his position but that he must understand ours in needing two top keepers. It still could be a small risk for us but we are bringing in a keeper with the experience and quality to cover for Pepe and maybe even challenge for his place. I fully expect Scott to keep progressing at Villa. The experience will make him an even better keeper and I feel he has every chance of going to Euro 2008 as the England keeper."

As Liverpool prepared to travel to Villa Park, £20m Spain striker Fernando Torres revealed how he intends seeing out the full six years of his Anfield contract following his move from Atletico Madrid.

He also explained why he was photographed at Atletico's training ground wearing an armband with "You'll Never Walk Alone" printed on it.

He said: "My six best friends have it tattooed on them. I could not tattoo it so I wore it on the armband instead. It seems destiny has brought me here and I intend making the most of it by settling in quickly and learning the language.

"In one month I have learned enough of the basics to talk with my teammates and understand the team talks. The Liverpool accent is a bit different but I am learning more every day.

"At the moment I am renting an apartment near the training ground. When I get round to buying a house I want to be sure I am going to be happy there because I am here for the full six years.

"There will be demands on me but I would expect that because this is the biggest club in England. It is a club that always manages to come back stronger from any adversity. They want the League now after winning everything else and I want to help deliver it.

"I have not had time to think about my debut. I just hope it's a great game and we win because that would set us up nicely for the Champions League and then Chelsea at Anfield, which is the game I have been looking forward to most since signing."