Ngog - Torres is world's best

Young striker hopes to learn a lot from Spanish team-mate

By Jamie Casey   Last updated: 13th November 2009   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Ngog - Torres is world's best

Ngog: Standing in for Torres

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Liverpool striker David Ngog claims team-mate Fernando Torres is the best striker in the world and has played down his role as a direct replacement.

The French youngster has netted four goals from nine games this season and now heads the list of replacements for crocked first-choice Torres.

Usually deployed as a lone striker, the Spaniard has struggled with a hernia problem this term, despite leading the Premier League goalscorers charts.

With Dirk Kuyt now a recognised winger, manager Rafa Benitez favours Ngog as a direct replacement for Torres as opposed to the unfancied pair Ryan Babel and Andriy Voronin.

While 20-year-old is so far revelling in his new found dependency, he is keen for fans not to get too carried away and insists the burden of replacing Torres is a difficult task for any striker.

World's best

"Fernando is the best striker in the world, so any player would find it hard replacing him," said the France Under 21 international.

"All I can do is play my own game and try to be myself because few players can do the things Fernando does.

"I feel tactically I can play as a lone striker, behind the striker or with another partner, so I am desperate to prove to the manager that I am ready to play in any situation."

Ngog is enjoying the best spell of his short Liverpool career and he hopes to build on his four goals this season to secure a long-term future at Anfield.

He added: "I believe that I have enough quality to be a good striker for the club and score many goals but I understand that will come with time and experience.

"I am not 21 until next April so I have plenty of time to learn and I couldn't be learning from a better manager than Rafa Benitez or a better striker than Fernando."

Wretched form

Liverpool are suffering from a wretched run of form with just one win in nine games leaving their Champions League hopes dangling by a thread, while their title hopes have already been written off.

The departure of Xabi Alonso to Real Madrid has been highlighted as a primary cause of their downfall, but Ngog insists the squad is just as good as the one which pushed champions Manchester United all the way last season.

Ngog said: "We need to remain confident in our own ability as individuals, as well as a team, because not much has changed from last season when we weren't far away from winning the league.

"The team is still very strong and we have to believe in ourselves.

"I know that Liverpool demands success and needs to win trophies, so losing games like we have isn't acceptable."

League finishing position 09/10 Finishing Position: 5th or Lower 4/5