Alberto Aquilani ready to take his Liverpool bow

Liverpool fans waiting to see their big summer signing Alberto Aquilani in action may be surprised to hear that he has been fit for a month and, according to his father, Claudio, is growing increasingly frustrated with life on the Anfield bench.

Aquilani has just 26 minutes of competitive action under his belt this season even though Rafa Benitez's side have won just three of their past 11 games. But he could finally get to start a game on Wednesday in Liverpool's Champions League clash with Fiorentina. There is little at stake in the game as Liverpool are already out of the competition after a dreadful group campaign, although they will still see European action in the Europa League.

Benitez has said that the reason he has chosen not to play Aquilani in recent weeks is because he is not match fit - although the player's father pointed out that the best way to get match fit is to play more often

Claudio Aquilani, who works as a paramedic at Roma - Alberto's former club - said his son had been "very frustrated, first at being injured, then at not being chosen to play for so long. Obviously he's not happy at waiting for such a long time to get involved with the team."

The good news for Liverpool fans is that the player is happy at the club. Sources close to Aquilani say he has an "excellent" relationship with Benitez and say his frustrations are "purely professional".

Aquilani was signed as a replacement for Xabi Alonso in August, even though he was still recovering from an ankle operation he underwent in May. When he joined the club Liverpool hoped he would be fit inside a month, but his recuperation took longer than expected. ·