"He's a player we have scouted for over six months," said Benitez. "I can tell the Liverpool fans who don't know too much about him that he's a player with lots and lots of ability. He's very fast, he's good in the air, he's good at crosses and he can score goals. In fact, he's the best player in Chile. We have had reports on the player from our own scouts, professional players, former players and other managers and they all say the same - that he is a very good player for now and even better for the future. We haven't been awarded a work permit though and I was very surprised to say the least.
"We must now wait because one of the problems is that his national team are not ranked in FIFA's Top 70 [they are currently 72nd]. If they win a couple of games, maybe they will move up the FIFA rankings and things may change.
"Gonzalez is already a player who will shine in the Premiership but very soon he could be one of the most exciting players in England. Liverpool supporters love to see players who can lift them out of their seats and Gonzalez is exactly that sort of player. You saw the reaction when Djibril Cisse came on against Kaunas on Wednesday. The fans were jumping up and cheering when Cisse raced down the wing. With Gonzalez, the fans would be out of their seats the whole time because he can play like Cisse but on the wing."