Pepe: Torres can transform season

Pepe Reina believes Fernando Torres is close to embarking on a scoring spree that will transform Liverpool's faltering season.

The Reds' senior striker has endured a troubled start to the campaign and was substituted 10 minutes into the dispiriting 2-1 defeat against Blackpool 10 days ago with a groin problem.

That forced him to miss Spain's Euro 2012 qualifiers with Lithuania and Scotland but Torres has been undergoing intensive treatment at Melwood, like in a bid to be fit for the derby this weekend.

Torres has only scored once so far this season and has generally appeared out of sorts but Reina is not worried by his compatriots lack of goals.

Reina, like so many of his team-mates, is adamant that Torres will come good sooner rather than later and could think of no better place than Goodison Park to do that.

"Fernando is one of the best strikers in the world," said Reina, who is aching for the Reds' ownership problems to be brought to a swift conclusion.

"As soon as he is fit once again, and he's working on that, he will be shining once again for us. The team is good enough to start winning games.

"It's a difficult situation but we have to stick together and work hard to turn it around. We know that we have not been in the right situation.

"We have had to think about this, the fact we were not doing as well as we could. But hopefully we will start getting better."

Meanwhile, Spanish side Malaga are the latest club to be linked with ending Ryan Babel's disappointing spell on Merseyside.

Though Reds' boss Roy Hodgson indicated last month that he was prepared to throw Babel a lifeline and give him a chance to play as a striker, he has not been sighted since the Carling Cup debacle against Northampton Town.

Babel was on the verge of leaving Anfield before the recent transfer window closed and both West Ham United and Tottenham made enquiries about signing him.

Liverpool are unlikely to stand in Babel's way if he wants to find a new club but it remains to be seen whether Malaga return with a concrete offer.

This story has been reproduced from today's media. It does not necessarily represent the position of Liverpool Football Club.