Rafa Benitez says Fernando Torres as valuable as Wayne Rooney

Liverpool FC coach Rafa Benitez has said that he would never swap Fernando Torres, not even for star Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney. He was speaking ahead of Liverpool’s clash with Manchester United by saying his striker was as valuable as Rooney.

The Sun quoted Benitez, as saying, "For us, Fernando is very important. If he had been fit all season the gap to the top would have been smaller. If Fernando is fit he'd score in a lot of games, so it is very simple. It would have been a different season for us if he had been injury-free and played more.”

"Would I swap him for Rooney? Not really. Fernando is a fantastic player and there's no doubt Rooney is very, very good. But Fernando is our player, the fans love him and we want to keep him," he added.

Liverpool is looking for a fourth straight win over Manchester United.