Torres opts out of United row

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Benitez stoked controversy by claiming United boss Sir Alex Ferguson showed no respect to referees and that they benefited from having chief executive David Gill on the FA board.

Torres backed his manager's right to speak out but did not believe United had gained any particular advantage, saying: "I think when you win a tournament like the Premier League you deserve to win. I don't think you win the league because of a referee or some decision. He [Benitez] has been here six years and he feels these things but I don't feel it."

He added: "He thinks that he has to say those things about Ferguson because he thinks that, I don't know why, but he has all our support.

"We are with our manager if he thinks we are not in the same position as Man U with some things."

Torres believes Benitez's success as a manager with Valencia, where he broke the dominance of Real Madrid and Barcelona in Spain, stands Liverpool in good stead for this title race.

He added: "He can compete with anyone, he won the Spanish league with Valencia after 15 years when it was just Real Madrid and Barcelona fighting for the title.

"Now he's enjoying it in Liverpool at a massive club and trying to do the same here as he did at Valencia.

"But I think Rafa Benitez is more English now than a Spanish manager, he learns a lot every day from the players like Stevie [Gerrard] and Carra [Jamie Carragher] and we are learning too."