The Liverpool striker Fernando Torres could miss his side's forthcoming matches against Wigan, Atlético Madrid and Chelsea after suffering a suspected hamstring tear during Spain's 2-1 victory over Belgium last night.
Torres was substituted after 16 minutes of the World Cup qualifier in Brussels and the national team coach, Vicente Del Bosque, said he was unsure how long the striker would be sidelined. Del Bosque initially claimed that Torres had suffered a muscle tear, but the Spanish team doctor, Oscar Celada, said it could have been a strain.
"He has intense pain in the back part of the thigh," Celada said. "It is difficult to diagnose now exactly the extent and whether it is a question of a strain or a small tear. If it is a strain then he could be out for about a week."
Manager Rafael Benítez is expecting to be without his record signing for at least 10 days. "I am very disappointed about this, because it now looks like we will lose Fernando for three very important games," Benítez said. "We have Wigan at home and Chelsea away in the league and Atlético Madrid away in the Champions League, so to lose any players is a big blow." But he added: "It is important that we show our strength at times like this. We cannot do anything about the injuries, so it is up to the players to come in and do a good job if they are needed."
The Spaniard would like to see players involved in fewer games for their country. "There are too many international games, and the demands on the players are too much," he said. "Someone needs to analyse this situation, because it is putting the players at risk of injury.
"Maybe the answer is for there to be a two-tier qualifying system, because there are too many games in the qualifiers for the World Cup and the European Championships which are not competitive but which still place great demands on the players. These fixtures are unnecessary, and maybe it would be better if the weaker countries played one another and the best of them went to play the stronger countries in the qualifiers."
Liverpool have further injury worries after Ryan Babel was forced off with an unspecified injury during Holland's win over Norway. The 21-year-old Dutch attacker played just under half an hour of the 1-0 win in Oslo and was substituted after a heavy tackle by Blackburn's Morten Gamst Pedersen. "As soon as Fernando and Ryan return to Melwood today they will be assessed by our medical staff," Ian Cotton, spokesman for the Merseyside club, said this morning. "Only then will we be able to diagnose the extent of the injuries and the timescales involved."
Torres is the Premier League's joint top scorer so far this season with five goals, but the Spaniard has struggled with hamstring problems this season. At the beginning of September he was sidelined for the international break after tearing a muscle in the goalless draw against Aston Villa.
