Torres confident of being fit for World Cup

Spain striker Fernando Torres said he is confident of being fit for the start of the World Cup in June after undergoing knee surgery on Sunday.

Liverpool's Torres is expected to be out for around six weeks, which means he should be fit just in time for the finals in South Africa which start on June 11.

"The World Cup is now the most important thing," he said yesterday.

"It's a four-year wait and if everything goes well I don't plan to miss it. I start work today."

The 26-year-old endured a long overland car trip from Liverpool to Barcelona for the surgery after his flight was cancelled due to the volcanic ash cloud, but he was positive the effort had been worth it for him to make it to South Africa.

His decision to have knee surgery on Sunday, though, has handed coach Vicente del Bosque another World Cup headache.