Torres wants to take on 'friend' Gerrard in World Cup final

Fernando Torres has declared that he wants to face club-mate Steven Gerrard in next summer's World Cup final. Torres and Gerrard have struck up a special playing partnership at Liverpool, and have become close friends.

Now the Spain international dreams of facing the England midfielder in next summer's final in South Africa. Torres said: "We have a fantastic relationship and it's amazing to play alongside someone like Stevie. He has quality and pace and is the greatest player I've ever played with. I hope to play with him for many years.

"From my first day he was asking if I needed anything and he's been a great support to me. Now I want to play against Stevie in the World Cup final. England against Spain in the final would be special. If I could play against a friend like him that would be great, because whatever happens one of us will be a winner."

Torres goes into today's clash with West Ham admitting that he has not been at his best this season. But the striker maintains he is not in need of a rest after his summer exertions in the Confederation Cup.

This season Torres has hit three goals, meaning he now has 53 strikes in 90 games for the club. "It was a really long season for me last time with so many games for Liverpool and then playing for Spain in the Confederations Cup," he said.

"I played a lot of minutes and I was a little bit tired. I haven't been at my best so far this season but I'm focused on trying to get back to 100 per cent and I'm ready to play in every game.

"We have a lot of things to achieve for Liverpool this season and I want to stay fit. We have a lot of games coming up and then the World Cup."

Torres, now in his third season with the club, admits the lack of trophies so far is a growing concern for him.

He said: "I've already had some special moments in my career like winning the European Championships. After the Euros it was very special to go home because people treated us as heroes. I want to experience things like that here. My target is to be remembered here as one of the top players. I could feel from the first day I arrived here that the main thing was the Premier League, not the Champions League."

He added: "I know how important the league is to the fans and to be honest I would prefer to win the Premier League myself. Twenty years without winning it is a long time. I'm sure that day will come and when it does it will be fantastic for the players and the fans. I hope to come back in 20 years to watch games at Anfield as a supporter. When that happens I hope people will recognise me as a player who played in the team which ended the club's long wait to win the league."