The Liverpool midfielder Suso has told supporters that he is close to signing a new contract with the club, allaying fears that he would return to Spain when his current deal runs out. The Spaniard has one year left to run on his contract at Anfield but he insisted: "The fans can relax. Everything's fine. I hope to sign the contract as soon as possible."

In an interview with the Spanish radio station Onda Cero, the 18-year-old explained that while Rafael Benítez was instrumental in bringing him to Merseyside, his departure has not had the negative impact that he feared and that talks over a new deal have been positive.

He said: "We have been talking about a [new] contract since the start of the season. We're nearly there: we'll sign soon. I'm happy here, very comfortable. This is the ideal club for me in every sense. This is like a dream for me."

Suso continued: "Rafa [Benítez] was the one that called me and convinced me to go to Liverpool when I was at Cádiz but soon after he left. The truth is, I thought that might be a problem and that things might get worse. But Roy Hodgson came in and he was the opposite of what I feared: he called me up to train with the first team, I travelled with them and was included in the squad at times. It is true that I felt a bit of a change with Kenny Dalglish but in general the departure of Rafa wasn't the problem that I thought it might be.

"Brendan Rodgers is a coach that if you prove to him that you can perform, if you work hard, has no problem in putting young players in the team. I have started three times and things are going well. It's a gift for me. I'm very happy here, very comfortable."

Pepe Reina, meanwhile, insisted that he does not fear being one of the names included in Rodgers's famous envelopes and has welcomed the change in style under the new manager. The TV documentary Being: Liverpool showed a team meeting in which Rodgers told his players that he was writing down the names of three people who would "let us down" over the course of the season and putting them in three envelopes to be revealed at the end of the campaign.

"I never feared being in the envelope," Reina said. "Beyond the fact that you can make a mistake or two on the pitch, no one can ever put my name in an envelope because of a lack of attitude or commitment. It's the first time I'd never seen a manager do that before and personally I liked it. It was designed to motivate, to make players determined not to be in that envelope, ensuring they are focused and 'plugged in' all season.

"In terms of the way we have played, there have been moments that have been very good. We are trying to impose a new style with a new manager and that takes time. We know that there are times that we have to take risks and the manager asks us to do that. There are mistakes at times, because it's not easy, but I prefer to make mistakes trying to do what the manager wants and trying to do the right thing.

"It's a style we identify with, that we're delighted with, and we're optimistic that sooner or later we'll be fighting near the top again."