Tom Hicks suggested yesterday that he intended to adopt a lower profile and to start winning over Liverpool’s supporters with actions rather than words, but there are whispers from within Anfield about the significance of the continuing silence from his co-chairman, George Gillett Jr.

Gillett, owner of the Montreal Canadiens ice hockey franchise, was the catalyst for the American duo’s takeover of Liverpool last February, but Hicks, who was widely regarded as the silent partner when he came on board late in the bidding process, has had a far more visible public presence during the club’s troubles of the past two months. Gillett’s name was absent from separate statements about the club’s £350 million refinancing deal and its proposed new stadium on Friday and, with Hicks admitting yesterday that “sometimes we don’t agree”, there are growing indications that the pair’s partnership is on borrowed time.

It emerged this month that Gillett has spoken to Dubai International Capital (DIC), the private-equity investment arm of the Dubai Government, about a partnership that would either lead to them buying out Hicks’s 50 per cent stake or the entire club. Hicks maintains that this is not on the agenda, despite confirming yesterday that he and Gillett held talks in October about a deal that would have led to the group becoming 15 per cent investors in the club, but while Friday’s refinancing deal appeared to have stabilised their regime for the immediate future, Anfield sources believe that the Hicks-Gillett partnership cannot survive in its present form. It remains possible that DIC will look to take over the club, either in a joint venture with Gillett or by buying out the two Americans, with the Arab group unconvinced by Hicks’s claim that he will not sell his stake at any price.

Doubts persist about the long-term future of Rafael BenÍtez for as long as Hicks is in place, but, after their very public fallout in November, the Texan is now at least offering the manager his backing in public. “We had a lot of consternation about Rafa,” Hicks said, “but after our meeting on December 16, where he really showed his strong intent to do the right things with us and by the club, we’ve had much better communication. He’s got our total backing. I’ve made that very clear.

“We’ve funded transfer requests in January and we are talking about things for the summer. Rafa’s got a contract here for two more years and hopefully longer than that.”

BenÍtez will be allowed to pursue the signing of Javier Mascherano on a long-term deal once Mohamed Sissoko has completed his expected £9 million move to Juventus, while the Liverpool manager also hopes to proceed with a bid to sign Pablo Aimar, the former Valencia playmaker, from Real Zaragoza.