Liverpool’s Fernando Torres to have operation on knee

Liverpool striker Fernando Torres needs an operation on his right knee and will be out of action for six weeks.

Steven Gerrard and Yossi Benayoun have also joined the Reds’ injury list.

Gerrard will miss two weeks with a hamstring strain, while Benayoun faces three to four weeks on the sidelines because of a fractured rib.

All three were injured in Liverpool’s FA Cup defeat by Reading on Wednesday, providing yet more bad news for under-fire Reds boss Rafael Benitez.

Spain striker Torres lasted barely half an hour against Reading, while Liverpool captain Gerrard went off at half-time.

A Liverpool spokesman said both players had undergone scans on Thursday.

“Steven has a hamstring strain and will be out for a fortnight, while Fernando has torn a cartilage in his right knee,” the spokesman added.

“The injury will require surgery and he is expected to be sidelined for six weeks.”

Benayoun – one of Liverpool’s better players in what has been a desperately disappointing season so far – sustained a fractured rib in the 2-1 extra-time loss to Reading.

The trio will miss this weekend’s match against Stoke and the subsequent Premier League encounters with Tottenham and Wolves but the Reds will hope to have Gerrard back in time to face Bolton on 30 January.

However, Torres’s injury means he is set to miss next month’s Merseyside derby against Everton and February’s league matches with third-placed Arsenal and fourth-placed Manchester City.

Torres and Gerrard have struggled with injuries for most of the season, with both finding it difficult to hit top form as Liverpool’s fortunes have waned.

The triple setback comes at a time when Benitez is under mounting pressure, with his side out of the Champions League and both domestic cups and down in seventh place in the Premier League.