Ahad, April 19, 2009

Busy summer for Liverpool's Spanish stars


Fernando Torres looks set to face a busy summer of football with little time for a summer break, after the Merseyside club announced plans to tour Thailand in July.

Torres is already set to play for Spain in the Confederations Cup in South Africa in June and may now have to report back to Liverpool shortly afterwards as the club plan to travel to Asia for a pre-season tour.

Despite current political unrest in the country, the Anfield outfit are reportedly in negotiations to play a series of games in Thailand, according to the Mail on Sunday.

The paper claims that an announcement will be made this week about the tour, which should see the club play the Thailand national team, managed by former Everton midfielder Peter Reid, in Bangkok on July 22.

Liverpool will then move on to Singapore to play another game, four days later, in a tour that should prove, financially, very lucrative for the club.

However, the timing of the trip, which follows the Confederations Cup, means that Torres will have little time to rest during the summer, which may cause anxiety at the club particularly as the striker has endured an injury-plagued season at Anfield.

He has managed only 15 Premier League starts this season, yet has still hit an impressive 11 goals.

Of course, Torres is not the only Liverpool player who this will affect, as the Reds boast several Spanish internationals who are also expected to play in the Confederations Cup.

Pepe Reina, Xabi Alonso and Alvaro Arebloa will join Torres in South Africa and may also have to endure very little time off this summer.