Out of sorts: Striker Torres
Roy Hodgson admitted yesterday he fears a Manchester
United bid for Fernando Torres as Liverpool brace themselves for
the repercussions of Wayne Rooney's imminent Old Trafford
departure.
In a stance that will alarm Anfield fans, the Liverpool boss
passed up the chance to fire an early warning to United counterpart
Sir Alex Ferguson and effectively confirmed that Torres will be one
of the main candidates to replace Rooney when the January transfer
window opens.
Asked about speculation that Liverpool's £21million record
signing tops Ferguson's wanted list, Hodgson said: 'I think we will
cross that bridge when we come to it. There will always be
speculation.
'When a great player like Wayne Rooney is looking to leave his
club, then you know Manchester United will be in a position to
target a lot of players around the world. I don't think Fernando
will be the only striker they target - and I don't think we will be
the only club worried that their striker is in their sights.
'I am not naive enough to believe that there won't be any danger
and we will never lose a player like Torres. I understand these
things can happen. I don't believe we will lose him.
'We will do our best to ensure he stays and I only hope I can do
everything in my power to help him return to the very top level. I
certainly hope he will get back to that sort of form very
quickly.'
The prospect of Kop idol Torres joining rivals United would
cause huge ructions among Liverpool fans desperate for an upturn in
fortunes.
In the wake of Hodgson's shock admission, Ferguson may just be
starting to think he could pull off one of the most audacious
transfer coups of his Old Trafford reign.
The Spain striker has fallen well short of his previously
prolific output this season and has looked out of sorts in a
Liverpool side struggling in 19th place in the Barclays Premier
League with just six points from eight games.
The quest to rediscover his lethal touch will not be concluded
here in Naples tonight, following Hodgson's decision to leave the
Spaniard behind, along with Steven Gerrard, Raul Meireles and
Lucas.
In a frank analysis that risks further alienating Liverpool
fans, Hodgson virtually confessed to writing off his side's latest
Europa League game in favour of ensuring a strong starting line-up
against Blackburn at Anfield on Sunday.
'Steven and Fernando were both ok with my decision,' he said.
'They would both want to play if I asked them, but we have to
prioritise. Players like Gerrard and Torres are very important for
us over a long season, and with a hugely important game on Sunday,
I'm of the opinion that it is better to save them for that and give
others responsibility.
'My decision is straightforward. We have four points in the
Europa League already and have four games to get the six more
points I feel we need to quality. I totally agree we need a win,
but we need a win on Sunday more. I don't want Gerrard and Torres
to be tired from their exertions here so they cannot perform on
Sunday.
'If we lose tomorrow night and people say that's because I was
sacrificing this game, then I will hold my hands up and say they
are right.'
Hodgson appears to be walking a tightrope just three months into
his Anfield reign and the balancing act became all the more
difficult yesterday following Christian Purslow's resignation
from the board, the man who appointed Hodgson. The
clamour for Dalglish to return is growing inside and outside the
club and ready-made replacement Frank Rijkaard's departure from
Turkish side Galatasaray.