"Having Jermaine here is good for us," said Rafa Benitez.
"It is a good situation for the rest of the season that we can use Steven Gerrard on the right and also Pennant.
"We changed Steven's position during the game on Wednesday to put him out on the left flank when Luis Garcia came on as a second striker, simply because we wanted to keep Pennant on the right wing.
"I talk a lot with Jermaine. He knows how important he can be for us. He trains really hard and wants to do the best for us, and you can see that in the training sessions. He is improving and if he can keep his commitment then he can make it into the England squad.
"There are not a lot of right wingers available for England right now. Lennon and Pennant are the best at the moment and Pennant will continue having possibilities."