SOCCER:RAFAEL BENITEZ has reassured Steven Gerrard that his future at Liverpool will be unaffected by his arrest for assault and affray following a nightclub brawl.

Benitez spoke to his captain on the telephone yesterday after the 28-year-old had been detained for 20 hours by Merseyside police and charged over an incident that left a DJ at Southport's Lounge Inn with facial injuries.

Benitez informed Gerrard that he retains the complete support of the club and that his captaincy and position are not in jeopardy. There had been no indication from Anfield that those positions were under threat but Benitez, acutely aware of Gerrard's introspective nature, reassured the player regardless.

The Liverpool captain will report back for training as scheduled this morning having, along with the rest of the first-team squad, been granted a two-day break following the 5-1 victory at Newcastle on Sunday.

As a result Gerrard did not breach any club curfew by drinking in the early hours of Monday and no disciplinary action is planned by Liverpool.

Benitez was also considering resting the midfielder for Saturday's FA Cup tie at Preston before the alleged assault occurred.

Publicly Liverpool were restricted to issuing a one-line sentence that reflected Benitez's stance on their captain, who will appear at North Sefton magistrates on January 23rd along with two other men. "Steven has been an outstanding servant to Liverpool for the last 10 years," the statement read. "And the club will give him all the support he needs at this time."

And behind the scenes club sources confirmed Gerrard had done nothing wrong by being out with friends.

"The players flew back from their game with Newcastle and all the players have had two days off," said the source.

"They only play again on Saturday so it was agreed everyone could have Monday and Tuesday off. They'll all be back in training tomorrow along with Stevie. The thinking is he will get on with things as normal."

The midfielder's position with England is similarly unaffected and he is expected to be available for selection for the friendly against the European champions Spain on February 11th.

A spokesman for the FA said last night: "The situation regarding Steven Gerrard is that this is currently not even a matter for discussion at the FA.

"Nothing has changed since he was charged. If a player is convicted of a serious criminal offence, then the issue of his selection for the national team would be considered on its individual merits. But no player is banned from international duty while they are the subject of a police inquiry."

Scources at the club indicated there were no plans for him to meet senior club staff following the incident in the early hours of Monday.

The England international was charged yesterday along with two other men after spending almost 24 hours in police custody following the brawl. He had been celebrating the victory which extended the club's lead at the top of the English Premier League to three points.

Kenny Dalglish, the former Liverpool player and manager, said he met Gerrard and his friends before the incident.

"He was out with his mates and they were enjoying themselves," Dalglish said. "They were very well behaved. When I heard the news I was really surprised.

"It was a night out he had organised. It was not affecting any matches.

"I'm sure what has happened has not been pleasant for anybody. But they were not rowdy. They were not badly behaved."

Dalglish said he expected Liverpool to pull behind Gerrard and added: "There is no better football club to be at for that. They will do that for him because he has certainly helped this football club."

The DJ at the Lounge Inn, a 34-year-old local man, required hospital treatment after suffering facial injuries.

It remains unclear what happened at the celebrity night spot.

Gerrard has been capped by England 70 times and has captained his country four times. He was made an MBE last year.

The maximum penalty for assault and affray would involve a custodial sentence.

Guardian Service