Benitez ready to create 'something great' at Dalian Yifang

Rafael Benitez admits he faces a stiff challenge in China but hopes to "create something great" at Dalian Yifang, where he can rely on the deep pockets of the club's owner, huge Chinese conglomerate Wanda Group.

In separate comments posted on both his own and the club's websites, the 2005 Champions League winner with Liverpool said he had been approached on previous occasions about a move to China but that nothing lined up quite like Dalian's offer.

"This club has all the components that we were looking for to start a new chapter with the maximum motivation," Benitez, who parted ways with Newcastle United last week, said on his home page.

The 59-year-old Spaniard singled out Wanda chairman Wang Jianlin, China's fourth-richest person according to Forbes magazine, as a man "keen to grow this club... with all the necessary resources".

Benitez, who was announced as Dalian's new manager on Tuesday, said his immediate focus was to build on the on-pitch successes of a team that was promoted back to the Chinese Super League (CSL) this year after being relegated in 2014 and has climbed to mid-table at the season's half-way point.