FERNANDO TORRES has returned to Spain for another assessment on his damaged knee amid concerns the Liverpool striker may require surgery that would rule him out for the rest of the season, writes Andy Hunter.

Whether his team-mates will make it to the country for Thursday’s Europa League semi-final at Atletico Madrid remains in doubt because of the travel chaos wrought by the Icelandic volcanic cloud. Uefa is due to decide today whether the game can go ahead.

Tonight Liverpool face West Ham United in the Premier League but Torres will miss that game having made an arduous journey by train and car to Barcelona from Merseyside over the weekend. The length of the striker’s absence will not be known until after the appointment with Dr Ramon Cugat. A second operation in four months has not been discounted.

Should surgery be deemed the only solution then Torres, who aggravated his knee problem against Benfica this month, will miss both legs of the Atletico tie and, in all likelihood, the remainder of Liverpool’s season. There is no suggestion his involvement in the World Cup is at risk.

The Spain striker is today expected to visit Dr Cugat for the second time in a week. The specialist, who operated on Torres when he damaged knee ligaments in the FA Cup defeat to Reading in January, said last week the problem could be solved with rest, but Liverpool’s leading goalscorer has continued to feel discomfort.

Asked whether surgery was required for Torres, the Liverpool manager, Rafael Benitez said: “We don’t know. The doctor in Spain knows his knee and he has to see his knee again. Fernando felt fine [on Friday] but we will have to wait.”

Torres has been plagued by hernia and knee problems this season, and has required intensive physiotherapy between matches since his return from January’s operation. That policy may resume for the rest of Liverpool’s season, with Torres facing the emotional pull of a potential reunion with Atletico in the Europa League semi-final on Thursday.

Liverpool will need flight restrictions to be lifted to reach Madrid, where they are scheduled to travel on Wednesday afternoon. Uefa accept Liverpool have insufficient time to journey to Madrid after tonight’s game at Anfield by any other means. An announcement is also expected today about Fulham’s Europa League semi-final on Thursday, at Hamburg.

Guardian Service