John Arne Riise has revealed how the recent takeover of Liverpool Football Club is keeping the players on their toes as speculation mounts that Rafael Benitez will look to strengthen his squad in the summer.
Riise, a second-half substitute against Reading on Saturday, was one of the heroes against PSV Eindhoven in midweek but insists that he – like all of his team-mates – will have to fight to earn the right to be part of the club's exciting future.
"Because the new owners are here, that's going to make everyone work hard to impress them, no doubt," claimed the Norwegian international who will have done his cause no harm with another trademark strike in the Champions League last week. "You never know what's going to happen and how many players will come in during the summer.
"We always work hard at Liverpool, but there are exciting times ahead and everyone wants to be part of that. They want to be part of the future here.
"The new owners came to Melwood on Sunday to watch us train and they seem like good people. And the fact is, you never know what the manager is going to do from one game to the next, and that keeps everyone on their toes."