Benitez: It's shining there for you and me, Fernando
Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez believes Fernando Torres will be far better suited to the English game than Fernando Morientes after spending a club record fee on the Spain international.
The 23-year-old has signed a six-year deal at Anfield after Liverpool paid Atletico Madrid just under £20m plus Luis Garcia for his services.
Although Morientes cost just £6.3m from Real Madrid in January 2005, he also arrived with a big reputation but went on to flop in the Premiership, managing just eight goals in 41 appearances in the league before moving to Valencia last summer.
However, Benitez thinks Torres will settle quickly and represents a sure thing.
He said: “The difference between Torres and Morientes is massive.
“Morientes is a fantastic player and a very good professional but he needed to be close to the box and he’s a great finisher.
“But Fernando (Torres) can be deep, he can run, he can go both sides, he can keep the ball. He’s a different kind of player and physically he is stronger than Morientes.
“I think he will do better in the English league. He gives us more options up front and he’s the kind of player we needed.”
With clubs moving in for striker Craig Bellamy, Benitez’s current attention is on strengthening his options out wide in midfield.
He played down talk of a move for Manchester United defender Gabriel Heinze but is keen to strengthen before the start of the new season.
“We are working on other areas, maybe two or three things will be enough,” he added.
“At the end of the day I’m really happy with the squad but there are two or three things we can do.”
Benitez believes the arrival of Torres should also put to bed any suggestion of friction between himself and Liverpool’s new American owners Tom Hicks and George Gillette.
The Spaniard cut a frustrated figure in the aftermath of May’s Champions League final defeat to AC Milan but insists talk of a fall-out is way off the mark.
He added: “People were talking about the Americans and the money but we were working in the club and also with them and we had our ideas.
“We continued working. People were talking but really they didn’t know.
“We were progressing and at the end we have signed the players we wanted.”
Torres believes his big move comes at the right time in his career, ending his 12-year association with Atletico.
He said: “I needed to make that step up at this point of my career.
“I wanted to go to a club where I could enjoy Champions League football and test myself on the European stage. From the word ’go’, the club and the manager showed a lot of confidence in me.
“It’s a fascinating league and I’ve always loved English football.
“It’s two dreams come true. I’ve always wanted to play in England and I’ve always wanted to play at Liverpool so two dreams have come true.”
