CARSON: I'M A BETTER KEEPER NOW

Jimmy Rice 02 March 2007 Scott Carson believes he will return to Anfield a much better keeper than the one who left for a season-long loan at Charlton last summer.

The 21-year-old has been one of the relegation-strugglers' top performers this term – and he hopes Rafa Benitez will like what he sees when he arrives back at the end of the season. "The fact that Charlton have had a tough time and I have had a lot of work to do has given me the experience quicker. Making a few saves gave me the confidence early on in the season because I proved to myself I can play at this level," said the stopper. "When I go back to Liverpool at the end of the season, which I think will happen, they will see a different person and a different player. "I've now got the mental strength to play for a big club. I would like to think I would give Rafa Benitez a headache next season." Carson admits he initially found life tough when he arrived on Merseyside in January 2005. "I found it difficult when I first went to Liverpool. The lads tried to help me settle in but I found it all overwhelming. "Being so young, you could say that I was out of my depth to begin with. I had played with world-class players at Leeds, but I wasn't training with them every day. "I didn't know what to expect when I first went to Liverpool and all of a sudden I was training with Steven Gerrard."