FERNANDO TORRES is set to miss Liverpool’s meeting with Manchester United after he suffered a hamstring tear at Villa Park yesterday.
The Spanish striker, who sustained the injury after half an hour of the goalless draw with Aston Villa, will undergo a scan to assess the extent of the damage today.
But with Gerrard already doubtful for the Premier League clash at Anfield on September 13 following two groin operations, Rafael Benitez’s plans for the game have been thrown into chaos.
The Liverpool manager does expect Albert Riera to complete his £9million move form Espanyol today. The move has been delayed while the Spanish club ponder including full back Steve Finnan as part of the deal.
The Liverpool manager also refused to rule out further signings in the final few hours of the transfer window.
But with Gerrard and Torres now out of their country’s World Cup qualifiers while they begin their recuperation, Benitez is hoping that, if they do miss the United game, they can regain fitness for the opening Champions League group game in Marseille the following Tuesday.
“We will have to wait and see what the scan says, and then wait and see over the next seven, 10 days,” said Benitez after his side kept up their unbeaten start to the Premier League season to draw level on points with Chelsea at the top.
“It is a positive thing that we have this international break now.”
The lingering bad feeling over the Gareth Barry transfer saga led to Benitez receiving a torrent of abuse form the Villa fans.
But the Spaniard quipped: “I have been told the Birmingham accent is the hardest one to understand so I couldn’t tell what they were saying.”
Liverpool turned in another disappointing attacking display at Villa, creating only a handful of chances to break the deadlock. But with returning Olympic medallists Javier Mascherano and Lucas back in midfield, plus a solid defensive performance, Benitez did take some positives from the game.
He said: “I think it was a tough game but we could have won it and we also could have lost it, so at the end of the day a point is good for both teams.
“Clearly when you are without Gerrard and after you lose Torres it is always a problem but the team was always working hard and it’s a credit to the players.
“It was a pity because we could have won the game so it could have been better but it’s not bad to get a point here.
“We could see that Mascherano and Lucas are fantastic players with a very good mentality after returning from the Olympic Games. That’s the positive thing for us,” he added.
Benitez also backed Robbie Keane as the £20million man’s wait for his first Liverpool goal continued.
After being through on goal, a challenge from Nigel Reo-Coker seemed to prevent the Irishman getting in a clean strike, but claims for a penalty were turned down by referee Martin Atkinson.
Keane was then substituted for Yossi Benayoun in the closing stages of the game, but Benitez said: “Robbie was working really hard. I was trying to use another player with fresh legs like Yossi for the final 15 minutes.
“Robbie did a very good job for the team. He started the game on the left side in the first half and then I put him through the middle as a second striker. He was always working well for the team and trying to make things happen for us.
He added: “After watching the replay it could have been a penalty. The position of the referee wasn’t the best and it happened so quickly. It could have been a penalty but I’m not complaining.”
Meanwhile, Espanyol will today decide whether to include Finnan as part of the Riera deal. The 32-year-old right-back has not figured in any of Benitez’s squads so far this season and is free to find a new club before the close of the transfer window today, as are Jermaine Pennant – set for a switch to Stoke – and Andriy Vorornin.
“The (Riera) deal is nearly done and hopefully it will be on Monday,” Benitez added. “I have confidence. It will be good for us because he is a good player and he will give us balance. In terms of bringing in other players if we can do a deal then we will try.”
The Spanish striker, who sustained the injury after half an hour of the goalless draw with Aston Villa, will undergo a scan to assess the extent of the damage today.
But with Gerrard already doubtful for the Premier League clash at Anfield on September 13 following two groin operations, Rafael Benitez’s plans for the game have been thrown into chaos.
The Liverpool manager does expect Albert Riera to complete his £9million move form Espanyol today. The move has been delayed while the Spanish club ponder including full back Steve Finnan as part of the deal.
The Liverpool manager also refused to rule out further signings in the final few hours of the transfer window.
But with Gerrard and Torres now out of their country’s World Cup qualifiers while they begin their recuperation, Benitez is hoping that, if they do miss the United game, they can regain fitness for the opening Champions League group game in Marseille the following Tuesday.
“We will have to wait and see what the scan says, and then wait and see over the next seven, 10 days,” said Benitez after his side kept up their unbeaten start to the Premier League season to draw level on points with Chelsea at the top.
“It is a positive thing that we have this international break now.”
The lingering bad feeling over the Gareth Barry transfer saga led to Benitez receiving a torrent of abuse form the Villa fans.
But the Spaniard quipped: “I have been told the Birmingham accent is the hardest one to understand so I couldn’t tell what they were saying.”
Liverpool turned in another disappointing attacking display at Villa, creating only a handful of chances to break the deadlock. But with returning Olympic medallists Javier Mascherano and Lucas back in midfield, plus a solid defensive performance, Benitez did take some positives from the game.
He said: “I think it was a tough game but we could have won it and we also could have lost it, so at the end of the day a point is good for both teams.
“Clearly when you are without Gerrard and after you lose Torres it is always a problem but the team was always working hard and it’s a credit to the players.
“It was a pity because we could have won the game so it could have been better but it’s not bad to get a point here.
“We could see that Mascherano and Lucas are fantastic players with a very good mentality after returning from the Olympic Games. That’s the positive thing for us,” he added.
Benitez also backed Robbie Keane as the £20million man’s wait for his first Liverpool goal continued.
After being through on goal, a challenge from Nigel Reo-Coker seemed to prevent the Irishman getting in a clean strike, but claims for a penalty were turned down by referee Martin Atkinson.
Keane was then substituted for Yossi Benayoun in the closing stages of the game, but Benitez said: “Robbie was working really hard. I was trying to use another player with fresh legs like Yossi for the final 15 minutes.
“Robbie did a very good job for the team. He started the game on the left side in the first half and then I put him through the middle as a second striker. He was always working well for the team and trying to make things happen for us.
He added: “After watching the replay it could have been a penalty. The position of the referee wasn’t the best and it happened so quickly. It could have been a penalty but I’m not complaining.”
Meanwhile, Espanyol will today decide whether to include Finnan as part of the Riera deal. The 32-year-old right-back has not figured in any of Benitez’s squads so far this season and is free to find a new club before the close of the transfer window today, as are Jermaine Pennant – set for a switch to Stoke – and Andriy Vorornin.
“The (Riera) deal is nearly done and hopefully it will be on Monday,” Benitez added. “I have confidence. It will be good for us because he is a good player and he will give us balance. In terms of bringing in other players if we can do a deal then we will try.”
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