Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez insists there's no row with the Spanish FA over Fernando Torres' need for groin surgery.

Benitez dismissed suggestions his native country was putting pressure on the club to ensure their star striker would be 100 per cent for the World Cup.

Benitez said: "Torres' condition is improving all the time and he could manage a full Christmas programme.

"In training this week he was fine. We've been patient with him and it is working.

"It has not been a straightforward thing to deal with. Sometimes he can play and, after the game, you never know how he will react.

"We don't know if his next game will be easy or difficult for him. There has not been any contact with Spain. None. They know we will do what is best for the player.

"At this moment, he will carry on training and working with the physios every day. That is the correct treatment.

"We knew we had to manage this problem during the whole season, so sometimes he is good after the treatment and sometimes not."