I can handle the pressure, insists record buy Torres

The 23-year-old striker, who moved to Anfield in a £20 million deal plus Luis Garcia, passed a medical at the club's Melwood training ground yesterday.

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He briefly flew back to his homeland to say an emotional goodbye to fans in Madrid before arriving back on Merseyside today to complete the formalities of the transfer.

Torres, speaking through an interpreter, said: "I'm very happy to be joining the club.

"It is a fantastic opportunity to be joining one of the best clubs in Europe with a fantastic history.

"You don't get opportunities like this every day of your life."

Asked what impact manager Rafael Benitez had on his decision the Spain striker said: "It was important, the confidence shown in me by him.

"When you hear a club like Liverpool is interested in you it is something that fills you with a lot of surprise and a lot of pride."

Torres insisted he was ready to work extremely hard to live up to his high price tag.

He told Sky Sports News: "The figures that have been mentioned are bound to bring an added pressure, but when you sign for a club like Liverpool you've got to bear pressure.

"I know the demands are high but I believe in hard work and think I can work hard to fulfil those expectations."

Asked whether it would be hard to adapt to the English top flight, Torres added: "Liverpool are a slightly different case, I have spoken to my team-mates who have come from the Spanish league so that will help with settling in."

Torres would not be drawn on reports that Chelsea had been interested in signing him last summer.

He said: "I don't think it does any good to speak about what happened in the past. As soon as I heard of Liverpool's interest that was the only club I wanted to consider."

Torres expressed his determination to settle in as soon as possible and secure a regular first-team place.

"I will be working from day one and getting to know my team-mates more closely," he said.

"You have to make sure you are in a position to make choices difficult for the manager as all my team-mates here are of the highest quality.

"Liverpool are the type of club that aspire to win trophies and I will certainly be trying my hardest and doing my little bit to try to improve that record, improve our chances and improve the team a little."

Benitez was delighted to finally bring in a big-name summer transfer and hinted the fee for Torres' had been inflated by media speculation, with the suggestion now that the striker actually cost £20million.

"I am really pleased. We were working hard to find the best players for us," he said.

"We know that it is expensive but not as much as people say. We are bringing in a young player with a great future."

Benitez insisted that despite the hefty price tag there was no undue pressure on Torres to shatter scoring records.

He said: "I'm not thinking about 20 goals (a season). I'd rather have four strikers who score 15 goals each.

"I like to change players with a rotation policy. If you have different options then you can manage different games."

But he was also certain that his latest signing would be able to bear the weight of expectation.

"He's a player who was playing first team at 17 years old and he can handle pressure. He was captain at Atletico Madrid, trying to win trophies and he was always under pressure to do that. He can handle it."