Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez believes his players will improve on their good start to the season.

The return of Spanish striker Fernando Torres has led Benitez to believe there will be an upturn in the team's fortunes.

He thinks captain Steven Gerrard will get better now that Torres is back.

He said: "Gerrard can improve, Torres will improve with fitness, Daniel Agger and Javier Mascherano can all improve.

"It is clear to me that Gerrard's level will improve now Torres is available again.

"You can see Stevie is a bit tired after putting so much in over the past few weeks but having Torres around will help him.

"Apart from all the things Torres brings to the side on his own he will be another outlet for Stevie, another target who will benefit from the accuracy of his passing."

He added: "Ideally, Stevie could do with a bit of a rest but maybe it will be easier to do that with Fernando back."