The Argentine international joined the Reds in the January transfer window.
Rodriguez impressed for Liverpool against Blackburn last weekend.
“I agree that last week was his best performance,” said Benitez.
“It is important for us to have a player who can keep the ball and understand the game and he knows what it means to play in the Premier League now. He knows all about the challenges!
“We have spoken a lot about the tempo of the Premier League and, in particular, the derby. It was very quick. But he knows now. He feels much better and he realises what it is all about, the tackles and everything else.
“Maxi is learning all the time and the main thing I see is that he is very keen to learn. He has got quality, he has experience and you can see that he is a very good professional. Little by little, he will give more and more to us.”
