Benitez: Torres will not be sold

Benitez: Torres will not be sold

Published Mar. 21, 2010 6:51 p.m. ET

Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez insists the club's supporters should not worry about the prospect of Fernando Torres leaving Anfield in the summer.

The Spaniard has reassured fans that Torres - a revelation since his 2007 transfer from Atletico Madrid - would not be sold this in a bid to fund new signings.

Benitez also said that his star striker was happy at the club - and believes that the 26-year-old will be a big part of his plans to bring a domestic title to Liverpool for the first time in over 20 years.

Asked if supporters should fear a Torres departure, Benitez told the News of the World: "I don't think so. We don't want to sell Fernando to anybody. I can talk with him and we can go forward.

"He makes his own decisions but Fernando is a professional who plays hard and is really happy here. He knows we have a lot of good players at the club."

Benitez takes his team to Old Trafford on Sunday to take on bitter rivals Manchester United, and he believes the club need to look at their near neighbours as a model for success.

United have been a dominant force in the Premier League since its creation, winning 11 championships under the stewardship of Sir Alex Ferguson.

And while Liverpool can reflect on their glory years during the 70s and 80s, Benitez believes renewing success at the club is only possible by investment in the playing squad - which he believes will narrow the gap that exists on the pitch between the two sides.

"In the past Liverpool were breaking all the records and making all the signings but over the last 13 years that is different," Benitez explained. "We have to be proud of the history but now we have to manage in a different way.

"I could read Sir Alex Ferguson's words about what he wanted to do when he became their manager but it is different now.

"If you talk about what they have and what we have, it is different, especially with money. We have to reduce this gap in the transfer market and on the pitch."

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