Monday, February 6th, 2012
Injury prone Liverpool striker Fernando Torres will be out for the rest of the season for Liverpool as the club confirmed that the knee problem the striker has been experiencing was worst than expected. The initial prognosis was good but now Torres will need knee surgery and will be out for at least six weeks.
With the developments, Torres will now no longer play for Liverpool this season including in the Europa League where the striker had hoped to turn out against former club Atletico Madrid in the semi finals, as well as the final in Hamburg should the club go on to qualify. The Liverpool top scorer now also faces doubts over his place in the Spain World Cup squad due to the length of time to be spent on the sidelines.
This will be the second time this season that Torres has undergone knee surgery, after the first was done in January. The cause for the second procedure is a torn cartilage in his right knee, which was initially deemed to be trivial by specialist surgeon Dr Ramon Cugat, but who has since realised that the assessment was wrong.
Despite a season ravaged by injuries, Torres is still Liverpool’s top scorer. It not only illustrates his quality but also the depth of the club’s inadequacy upfront.
With so many injuries afflicting him but having some true market value due to the goals he scores, it might be in Liverpool’s best interest to put Torres on the market. Anfield might be hoping for Torres to recover in time for the World Cup finals, which could further inflate his price tag. The club is in need of financial resources and a short term sacrifice could be more prudent for long term survival.
But even his appearance in the World Cup finals with Spain are under threat. Spain will need to make their final squad list submission to FIFA by June 1. Torres might not be fit by then and Spain manager Vicente Del Bosque will have to make a decision.
Tags: English Premier League, EPL, Fernando Torres, Fernando Torres injury, Liverpool, Spain, World Cup