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Torres injury hands Spain another headache

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 told his personal website on Monday.

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

The explosive nature of Torres's game will make it a particularly tough decision for Del Bosque to make if doubts remain over his knee next month.

IT'S A WORRY

"Naturally, it is a worry," Del Bosque told Radio Marca in an interview last week when asked about the growing injury list.

"We have six or seven players who aren't in top shape, but we hope that in the month remaining before we have to produce our list, they will get themselves back up to full fitness.

"We have 30 or so players that we have absolute faith in and who could potentially come with us."

Replacing Torres is a tall order, but Fenerbahce's Daniel Guiza has successfully carried off a similar role over the last couple of years as Spain's 'reserve' striker.

Waiting in the wings for a possible call up are Athletic Bilbao's 'Lion King' Fernando Llorente, who scored against England in a friendly last year, and Sevilla's Alvaro Negredo.

Arsenal's Fabregas cracked a bone in his right leg earlier this month, while Barcelona's Iniesta had a recurrence of a thigh muscle problem last week, but both hope to return by the end of May.

Further concerns for Del Bosque include Villarreal midfielders Marcos Senna and Santi Cazorla, and Valencia's Villa and David Silva, who have all suffered with a string of injuries throughout the campaign.

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