Sami Hyypia has heaped praise on Liverpool teammate Fernando Torres.

"He is a very good player, and everyday he does amazingly on the training pitch. He is very hard to play against," the big Finn told Liverpoolfc.tv.

"When he gets the ball he is very direct, he goes straight towards the goal. I'd rather play with him than against him!

"It's good to have a challenge in training. If you play against one of the best strikers in the Premier League almost everyday, that can only help you when the game comes around each weekend."

Asked if he had worked out how to stop Torres, Hyypia added: "I'm working on it, I'm working on it.

"Like I said, I think it would be very hard to play against him in a proper game. I'm happy I'm not the one who has to find a way to play against him in the Premier League.

"I think he can be one of the main strikers in the world over the next few years. I think some people have criticised his goals record, but his game is about so much more than that. He works extremely hard for the team.

"He is scoring more goals now and strikers are judged on how many goals they score in however many games, so I think he could become the best in the world."