Benitez fuming after Kuyt blow

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez has demanded a radical overhaul of the relationship between clubs and national teams after striker Dirk Kuyt suffered an ankle injury on duty with Holland.

Benitez has slammed Dutch team bosses for not allowing Kuyt to return immediately to Anfield after he suffered the problem against Bulgaria on Saturday. Instead Kuyt remained with his national team and was due to have a scan under the supervision of Dutch medics to see whether he may recover for Wednesday's match with Albania.

Benitez told the Liverpool Echo: "If Kuyt is a doubt for Wednesday, it means he is not fit. They were talking about seeing if he can play. If he plays, he may miss the next three or four games for Liverpool, including Blackburn, the Champions League and Manchester United."

Benitez believes nations should be made more responsible for the players during international weeks, and be liable for heavier compensation in the event of injuries.

"When people talk about the national teams, no-one ever talks about the money they make, it's always about the pride of playing for your country," Benitez added.

"If Kuyt misses many games and Crouch gets injured, it means we may not win as many games as we would. Last season we had a situation where John Arne Riise was injured in a friendly for Norway and missed the Champions League game with Benfica.

"Where was our compensation? The national associations should pay. I believe they should pay 50% of a player's wage when they play for their country, and 100% if they are injured, for as long as they can't play a competitive game.

"As a manager, I would prefer to have Kuyt return fit than be compensated, but this is a big problem."