Torres out till the New Year?

Fernando Torres looks like he’s going to be forced to sit until January as he seeks medical advice on an injured hamstring.

Liverpool's shortage of firepower up front is set to continue as Torres seems almost certain to be a frequent visitor to Anfield's treatment room for the rest of the year.

The Reds striker was forced off the pitch in Liverpool's 1-0 Champions League victory over Olympique Marseille and was declared by team doctors to be suffering from a persistent hamstring injury.

The 24-year-old has already had two such setbacks since the start of the current campaign. The Spaniard was forced off the field against Aston Villa at the end of August, and lasted just 17 minutes in la Roja's World Cup qualifier against Belgium in October.

Torres took a trip to his homeland earlier this week to visit a specialist in Barcelona, and it seems highly unlikely that he will return to action within the next fortnight as was initially predicted.

It is a less than welcome development for the Merseysiders, who are still waiting for Robbie Keane to turn out good as he continues to struggle in the role of being a ready-made replacement for El Nino.

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