LIVERPOOL, England (AFP) - Ukraine striker Andriy Voronin officially became a Liverpool player on Friday and immediately insisted he had not come to Anfield to sit on the bench.

The former Bayer Leverkusen forward has moved to England on a free transfer after coming to the end of his contract in Germany and will be competing for a place in Rafael Benitez's side with another new signing, Fernando Torres, as well as Dirk Kuyt, Peter Crouch and Craig Bellamy.

But the 27-year-old, who agreed a four-year contract with Liverpool in February, appeared unfazed by the prospect of fierce competition for starting places.

"I have not made this decision just to sit on the bench," he said. "I have come to get in the team and form a partnership with someone."

Voronin was part of Ukraine's 2006 World Cup squad and has won 44 caps. He has spent all of his senior career in Germany, playing for Cologne, Mainz and Borussia Monchengladbach before joining Leverkusen.

Benitez said he was confident that Voronin would enhance a Liverpool squad aiming to mount a serious challenge for the Premiership title next season.

"He is a player with pace and with good movement," Benitez said. "He plays between the lines, between defenders. He is a good worker also, and he scores goals.

"He's not the kind of player you can talk about strengths because he has many things he can give to us."

Benitez is widely expected to offload Bellamy this summer with West Ham now the favourite to capture the striker, who has also attracted interest from Aston Villa and two of his former clubs, Newcastle and Blackburn.

It is also believed that Djibril Cisse, who spent all of last season on loan at Marseille, could be a target for the Hammers, who are expecting to lose Argentinian striker Carlos Tevez to Manchester United.