David N'Gog arrived at Liverpool last summer from Paris Saint-Germain after impressing Rafael Benitez's scouts with his occasional outings in Ligue 1.
Very much a project player, the 19-year-old has taken up the role of Fernando Torres' understudy, beating a host of talented reserves - including Krisztian Nemeth and Daniel Pacheco - to the first-team bench.
The French striker has been paying close attention to his Spanish squad-mate, and he is delighted at how much he is learning simply by observing one of the world's most dangerous forwards.
"I have spent a lot of time watching Fernando Torres in training and in the games he has played," N'Gog told LFC Magazine.
"He is a great striker - he moves well, he finds space where other players would struggle, and more than anything else, he works hard for the team. I am learning a lot from him.
"Some strikers play for themselves first, they only react when the ball comes to them. I don't want to be one of those players, so I have been watching what Fernando does very closely.
"Not just Torres, but Dirk Kuyt and Steven Gerrard too - you can learn a lot from players like them. Any young player would be delighted to have these players to look up to, and I am very fortunate to learn from them every day. I am picking up things from them all the time."
With Robbie Keane back at Tottenham Hotspur and Gerrard sidelined due to a hamstring injury, N'Gog could be given a several chances to strut his stuff over the coming weeks.
He added, "I am excited to be here at Liverpool, and hopefully I can impress the manager in training every day and play some more games in the second half of the season."
Very much a project player, the 19-year-old has taken up the role of Fernando Torres' understudy, beating a host of talented reserves - including Krisztian Nemeth and Daniel Pacheco - to the first-team bench.
The French striker has been paying close attention to his Spanish squad-mate, and he is delighted at how much he is learning simply by observing one of the world's most dangerous forwards.
"I have spent a lot of time watching Fernando Torres in training and in the games he has played," N'Gog told LFC Magazine.
"He is a great striker - he moves well, he finds space where other players would struggle, and more than anything else, he works hard for the team. I am learning a lot from him.
"Some strikers play for themselves first, they only react when the ball comes to them. I don't want to be one of those players, so I have been watching what Fernando does very closely.
"Not just Torres, but Dirk Kuyt and Steven Gerrard too - you can learn a lot from players like them. Any young player would be delighted to have these players to look up to, and I am very fortunate to learn from them every day. I am picking up things from them all the time."
With Robbie Keane back at Tottenham Hotspur and Gerrard sidelined due to a hamstring injury, N'Gog could be given a several chances to strut his stuff over the coming weeks.
He added, "I am excited to be here at Liverpool, and hopefully I can impress the manager in training every day and play some more games in the second half of the season."
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