KEANE RELISHING TORRES LINK-UP AT LIVERPOOL The Guardian 29 July 2008
Robbie Keane admits he is looking forward to the prospect of playing alongside Fernando Torres, whom he describes as "probably the best striker in the world right now".
Following the departure of Peter Crouch to Portsmouth earlier this summer, the Republic of Ireland captain is likely to form manager Rafael BenÃtez's first-choice strike partnership, with Keane playing just behind the Spaniard and linking up with the Liverpool midfield.
"I see myself as a second striker," Keane said. "I can play off the shoulder, link things up and play in the hole. You are always judged on scoring goals as a striker and I have always scored a lot of goals. Hopefully I can continue that here at Liverpool."
Keane, who has become Liverpool's second-most expensive signing after Torres moved to Anfield last summer, believes he could form a prolific partnership with Torres.
"He has been a revelation since he came to the Premier League. He was absolutely outstanding last year and also in the Euros with Spain," Keane added. "It is hard to leave Tottenham with some of the players they had - like Dimitar Berbatov, who I had a great relationship with - but Torres is probably the best striker in the world right now. Hopefully we can play a lot of games together and do well. The last four years have been great for me and I believe I am at my peak. I am at a good age and if I didn't come to Liverpool now, maybe the opportunity wouldn't come again."
BenÃtez will give Keane the No7 shirt vacated by Harry Kewell's transfer to Galatasaray and previously worn by Kenny Dalglish and Kevin Keegan. "We were talking about the number, and the big names that have had this number, so it will be inspirational for him to have it too," BenÃtez said.
"We were looking for a player with game intelligence and good movement who could play alongside Torres. He can play with Torres up front and also on the right. He is a player who can give to us a lot of goals - normally he gets about 15 each year. We were looking for the work-rate he can give to us, the game intelligence and also the goals."
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To say I'm excited at the mouth watering prospect of Keane lining up with Torres is certainly an understatement, but we must also be pateint with him, I hope he does really well but we must also be careful not to get to carried away, and he may need a little time to settle into the 'Liverpool way' of how things are done.
Obviously the fact that he's used to the EPL will be an enormous help, and I can't wait to see him.
This is obviously the player that Rafa was talking about when he said "Speaks good English, but isn't English"
Go Robbie
and in the number 7 shirt as well.
It's also good to have another Robbie back in the team