Gerrard and Carragher pushed me to re-sign Owen but I believed Torres would be better, reveals Rafa

As he prepared to face Owen at Anfield today, Benitez described how he twice decided against granting the Newcastle striker's wish for return to his home club after offloading him to Real Madrid three years ago.

He held talks with Owen when Real signalled a willingness to sell and again weighed up the England striker's claims when it became clear a proven scorer was Liverpool's priority at the end of last season.

Despite admitting that Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher had seized every opportunity to champion their former team-mate, Benitez again dashed Owen's hopes of a return by opting for Atletico Madrid's Torres.

Another stunning hat-trick Wednesday's 4-0 demolition of West Ham confirmed the Liverpool manager's judgment as Torres moved to within six of Ruud van Nistelrooy's 24-goal record for a foreign import in his first Premier League season.

Benitez insisted he was wary of Owen's goal threat, for all Newcastle's recent troubles, but was still happy to open up on the way age and fitness had counted against him in last summer's transfer calculations.

'I had already had conversations with Michael when he left Real Madrid but thought it wasn't the right moment for it to happen,' he said. 'Then, at the end of last season, we drew up a list of 10 strikers and he was on it.

'He was one of the players under review because, when he is fit, he is one of the best finishers in the world. I remember when I was at Valencia and we were playing Liverpool we talked about Michael a lot, about his intelligence and movement. But he and Torres are different.

'Michael needs to be close to the box to be most effective, whereas Torres has more pace and can play in front of defenders or behind them.

'Whenever I talked with Stevie or Carra, they always spoke really well about Michael, but I had a decision to make.

'Torres was only 23 and had the condition and qualities we were looking for. We wanted power and pace and he would give us that.

Michael has been held back by injuries as well. When you have a long-term injury, it is a big problem; when you suffer another, it is even worse.

'It affects confidence and becomes a mental problem and you need even more time to get back to your true level.'

Torres, who has 24 goals in all competitions, will cost Liverpool another £350,000 should he score one more today as part of the terms of his sale from Atletico Madrid.

Newcastle manager Kevin Keegan is convinced that Anfield is the right place for Owen to show just how good he still is. He said: 'Michael is going back to his old club and we all know what that is like.

'It is fantastic to go back but the one thing Michael will want is the same thing we all want; to go back there, to give a good account of ourselves and get a victory.'

In six Premier League games since his return, Keegan has only been able to inspire his players to pick up two points and if results go against them this weekend, they could end up two places above the bottom three.

'We are fighting for our lives,' admitted Keegan. 'The players are not low on confidence but a win at any football club is vital. The longer you go without a win the more it gives for those from outside the club to chip away at you.

'Liverpool are just starting to hit form. At Anfield the one thing you have got to do is respect them but not fear them.

'You have to respect the talent they have got, respect what they have achieved in football, but you must have a belief that you can go there and get a result against the odds.'