Liverpool FC legend Phil Thompson: Priority is keeping hold of Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard

LIVERPOOL legend Phil Thompson believes the priority for the club's next manager will be convincing Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres to stay at Anfield.'We need our star players if we are going to make any impact next year,' Thompson said.'Not just impact on the playing field, we have a worldwide fanbase of over 100 million people.'They need star names, they need people to cling to and that is why we need Torres and Gerrard to stay there.' Thompson knows how Benitez feels after he was sacked as assistant boss along with manager Gerard Houllier back in 2004.'I've been in this position and it's not nice,' he said.'Rafa has done a good job and nobody will ever forget what happened in Istanbul but we had an extremely difficult season.'We've gone from finishing second to seventh which isn't good enough.'The squad is not good enough.

Source: Liverpool_Echo