Suarez: I expected to play with Torres

Liverpool forward Luiz Suarez has admitted that he expected to lead the line with Fernando Torres when he signed on at Anfield.

The Uruguayan, much scorned for his antics at the World Cup, arrived in Liverpool in January shortly after Reds favourite Kenny Dalglish returned as manager and was keen to link up with the Spanish ace.

But Torres was sold to Chelsea for 50 million pounds shortly after his arrival and the former Ajax Amsterdam striker admitted he had not envisaged playing alongside anyone else but Torres.

“I expected to play with Fernando,” Suarez told Goal.com.

“Fernando is a very good player. He’s got great quality and it would have been nice to play with him.”

“It’s a shame that he’s gone as he is an excellent player and has great qualities. But at the same time there are many other great players at Liverpool.”

Suarez, however, is excited about forming a partnership with the player brought in to replace Torres, Andy Carroll, who made his debut as a substitute for the Reds earlier this month.

“When one top player goes, perhaps another great player comes in,” Suarez said. “Carroll and Torres are very different players.”

“Andy has had an injury and he’s just starting to come back into the game. They have different qualities and ways of playing the game, so you can’t really make comparisons.”

“Andy is a big, strong player with many qualities and it will be exciting to play with him.”

Suarez, who hit 81 goals from 110 league appearances for Ajax, also asserted his desire for Liverpool caretaker boss Kenny Dalglish to remain at Anfield beyond his current short-term deal.

“Yes, of course (I want him to stay). I’m looking forward to working with him more in the future,” Suarez said.

“Having a manager like Kenny Dalglish is really great for me. He is a person of great history and importance at the club. He’s one of the best players the club has ever had and now he’s correcting me and training me.”

“I think it’s really great for me to work with a legend such as Kenny and I have enjoyed it so far.”