London, Dec 26 : Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez has dismissed reports that Spain is putting pressure on the club into sending their star striker Fernando Torres for surgery to ensure that he is 100 per cent fit for the 2010 World Cup.

No force is being applied to have Torres undergo surgery to cure a niggling groin problem.

Anfield insiders say it is not going to happen anyway because Torres does not want to go under the knife, The Sun reports.

Liverpool has stressed all along that the best way to get Torres fit was to let him rest and then work with the physios on a daily basis. And manager Benitez believes their patience is about to be rewarded, with the Spanish striker ready to play a much bigger role in the second half of the season.

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,” Benitez said.

“The other problem is match fitness. We have some players who have to improve that like Torres, Fabio Aurelio, Alberto Aquilani and Steven Gerrard. We have to balance it for each one but we know we have to win games, so we have to bring the best from each player,” he added.

Benitez denied Aquilani’s injury problems were worse than Liverpool suspected when they paid Roma 20 million pounds for him in the summer. (ANI)