Rafa Benitez was 'surprised' to hear of suggestions that Liverpool striker Fernando Torres needs to undergo a hernia operation.
Reds boss surprised by reports coming out of Spain
Rafa Benitez admits he was 'surprised' to hear of suggestions that Fernando Torres needs to undergo a hernia operation and says there are no plans to send the Liverpool striker for surgery.
Reports in Spain have claimed that Torres needs to have an operation sooner rather than later in order to safeguard his prospects of being fit for the World Cup finals.
He is still returning to peak condition after a recent injury lay-off, but Benitez is not intending to book his leading scorer in for surgery.
The Reds boss says the situation will be closely monitored after being taken aback by the reports emanating from his homeland.
Benitez said: "An operation is not in our minds.
Surprised
"I was surprised to hear such suggestions from Spain because we have a good working relationship with their medical team.
"We will continue to manage Torres' problem and assess him on a game-to-game basis."
Meanwhile, Benitez is hoping that his £20million signing Alberto Aquilani will be fit to replace the suspended Javier Mascherano in midfield against Wolves on Boxing Day.
He added: "Alberto picked up a calf injury in the win against Wigan and was not able to travel to Portsmouth.
"He is getting better but we will have to see how he progresses, but he is certainly in contention to play against Wolves."
