Gillett claims Benitez is one of the top five managers in the world despite Liverpool’s poor season.
The American told Canadian radio station Prime Time Sports: “We believe if you were to put a list together of the top five managers in the world, he would definitely be on that list for us.
“And we think he’s been tossed a curve ball by circumstance, injuries and so forth.
“I think that’s been a real challenge to the coach. He’s had to really make some innovations and play some players out of position and so forth.
“And notwithstanding that, they’ve generally played with a lot of passion. I really believe it’s a blip.”
