Rafa warning to Torres

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Torres has made a flying start to life in England, netting three times in four league games for the Reds so far, including a double in the six-goal hammering of Derby but the Liverpool boss is cautioning against an early analysis of the 23-year-old's talents.

"Yes, Fernando should be pleased but we also have to tell him to keep working hard," said Benitez. "It is not always going to be as easy as he thinks it is at the moment and we need to wait and see what happens in a month or two. He will find out there are some very difficult central defenders to play against."

Nevertheless, Benitez is not anticipating any problems, having thoroughly checked Torres out before approaching Atletico Madrid in the summer before parting with the best part of £20million.

"When we were thinking about signing him, we got to know all about him," said Benitez. "He has a lot of strength, both physical and mental. In the head, he is far more mature than his age, so I am not surprised by him - I was expecting something like this."

Like most of his team-mates, Torres will be assessed ahead of Saturday's trip to Portsmouth to see how much his international exertions have taken out of him.

Given Torres featured in both Spain's matches - against Iceland and Latvia - while Peter Crouch only played a small part against Russia on Wednesday, there must be a good chance the England man will get the nod at Fratton Park.

The move would allow Benitez to keep his most expensive recruit fresh for the start of his side's Champions League campaign in Porto on Tuesday.