Benitez: Liverpool Star Fernando Torres Wants To Wait For Surgery

'El Nino' would like to delay op to help Reds get back to winning ways.

Nov 5, 2009 1:18:49 PM

More On :  Liverpool
Fernando Torres - Liverpool （Getty Images）
Liverpool striker Fernando Torres would rather play through the pain than have surgery now on the abductor problem that threatens to wreck his season, according to Reds boss Rafa Benitez.
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Torres looked far from match-fit during the Reds' disappointing 1-1 draw at Olympique Lyonnais last night. Steven Gerrard missed the game with a similar problem, and the prospect of both players going under the knife at this stage of the campaign is clearly a concern.

"Fernando played with pain, and after the game he still had the same problems that have troubled him for a few weeks," Benitez told reporters, according to Press Association Sport.

"He wants to wait, rather than have an operation. He wants to work with the physios to try to solve his problems, but still he has pain.

"He told me he needed to keep stopping during the game because of the pain. Whether there is the need for him or Steven to have an operation is a decision we will probably not take straight away.

"We must see how they can improve, and by how much. Then we will decide about any possible operation."

Liverpool came very close to achieving a much-needed win in France last night, but their progress in this season's Champions League is under threat after a late equalizer by Lisandro Lopez.

Benitez hopes that his team have learned that they must be ruthless in the way they close games down once in the lead.

"We have to improve when we are leading near the end of the game. We must start showing more experience in such situations," he said.

"But nobody let the club down, that was the positive outcome from the draw in Lyon.

"We had so many problems with injured players. But you cannot complain about the performance because the team did everything they could to secure the victory.

"The performance was good and the fans who were in the stadium with us could see that. They were singing at the end and after the whistle because they knew they had seen everyone give everything."

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