Fernando Torres will be at his very best by the time the World Cup comes around, with his return to the Liverpool first team just days away. The world cup odds make Spain one of the favourites for the tournament.

The striker was ruled out for a month after having knee surgery in January and there were suggestions his World Cup hopes could be affected by the fresh problem.

However, after returning to Spain to visit Dr Ramon Cugat, Torres may now be fit to face his former club Atletico Madrid in next week's Europa League semi-finals.

Dr Cugat believes that, providing the injury settles down, there is no reason why Torres could not be available to play after a few days' rest.
Not serious

"The problem is not serious, but he needs to stop and rest to avoid more risk because it's the same knee on which he had surgery in January," Dr Cugat was quoted as saying in the Liverpool Echo.

"But in normal circumstances, he could be ready to play next week, depending on how it settles down.