Sami Hyypia admits he attempted to give Liverpool teammate Fernando Torres a physical test in his first weeks at Anfield - and came off second best.

He said: "It is quite unbelievable that he scored so many goals in his first season because it's not easy to come to the Premier League and be successful right away.

"I knew that he was a quality player, but what has surprised me is that he was very physical. I couldn't believe how much he liked to get involved when he first joined.

"He is very strong and doesn't avoid any contact, not even in training with his mates at Liverpool. In fact, he's one of the players who kicks me always.

"I tried to prepare him for the strength in the Premier League as much as possible but I think he always had it in him - he's a bit of a hard man.

"Torres is always a handful as his opponents at Euro 2008 will soon discover."