JASON McAteer made an emotional exit from Liverpool Football Club today.

The new £4m Blackburn Rovers shed a tear with his former colleagues before clearing his locker after a light training session.

McAteer was due at an Ewood press conefernce later today.

And manager Brian Kidd welcomed his fourth signing by declaring that McAteer is just the type of man to handle the pressures of the next few months as Rovers battle to beat the drop.

The £4 million Rovers paid Liverpool for the Republic of Ireland star takes Kidd's spending to almost £15 million, backing up Jack Walker's pledge that his new manager would have big funds at his disposal.

McAteer has signed a four and a half year contract and Kidd believes he has plucked a prize asset from Anfield, not only for the present but also the future.

"He's 27, a smashing age, and he has all that experience of playing pressure games every week for Liverpool," said the manager.

"That's a great development for a footballer.

"He's also a versatile player who can fill a number of positions and it's all about getting a balance in the squad.

"As I have said before, I am not here to provide a quick fix. There is a lot of dialogue between me, Mr Walker and the board about what we are trying to build here. "But we also need players for the present and Jason satisfies both.

"I have spoken to him at length about the football side and he was very receptive and responsive about what we are trying to do here."

The clubs only agreed the fee of £4 million yesterday and the speed with which the personal terms were then wrapped up suggests McAteer was happy to join Rovers for football rather than financial reasons.

He will have agreed to take a hefty pay cut from his Anfield salary to join Kidd's Rovers revolution and chief executive John Williams was delighted the club had managed to prise him away from Liverpool.

"I think it underlines the ambitions we have when we have now signed players from the likes of Liverpool and Newcastle," he said.

"Jason has done a deal with us which falls within our structure and he has come here for football reasons, there is no question about that."

McAteer was on the Ewood wanted list when he was still at Bolton but Kenny Dalglish and Ray Harford were unable to persuade him to turn down the obvious attraction for a Merseysider of joining Liverpool.

He has been unable to claim a regular spot in the starting line-up for Liverpool this season, despite his ability to play full back, wing back, right midfield or centre midfield, as the Anfield side have rung the changes.

Bolton picked up McAteer from non-League Marine and he featured in 113 League games for them before joining Liverpool for £4.5 million in September 1995.

He has also topped a century of games for the Merseysiders.

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