Former Tottenham boss Juande Ramos believes Liverpool striker Fernando Torres is set to take the World Cup knockout rounds by storm.

Ramos is confident El Nino will prove his worth as the tournament goes on.

"Torres missed his opportunities but that does not worry me," he said. "I thought he worked so hard for the team. You have to bear in mind that it was his first start since his April operation.

"People have talked a lot about his misses, but he was strong and quick enough to get into the scoring positions in the first place, which is the most important thing.

"Sometimes when a striker is coming back that, fraction of sharpness - that is missing at first - shows itself in the finishing. He can only get back to 100 per cent by playing matches and if he does that in the next five games reaching his absolute peak in the final on 11 July then his timing will have been perfect."