Liverpool’s Fernando Torres picked up a knee injury in last night’s FA Cup Third Round Replay defeat to Championship Reading that will put him out of action for six weeks, his club have confirmed today.
The striker, whose injury appeared benign as he jogged from the pitch yesterday, will have to undergo an operation to fix the injury with a recouperation period of six weeks.
More woe for Liverpool was confirmed when captain Steven Gerrard’s prognosis was for ar0und two weeks out of the game, and Yossi Benayoun was diagnosed with two fractured ribs.
All players were injured in the match against Reading which they lost 2-1 after extra time.
Liverpool will be buoyed slightly by their signing of 29 year old Maxi Rodriguez but his winger role is unlikely to provide direct respite for the missing Gerrard and Torres. Liverpool also played without goalkeeper Pepe Reina in their FA Cup clash, and so are without three of their best players at present.
Qualification for the UEFA Champions League seems to be a distant prospect unless Liverpool can produce significantly better form than that which has placed them in a current Barclays Premier League seventh.
Liverpool are five points behind Man City who currently hold the fourth and final Champions League position in the Premier League.