Benayoun: Robin is like Torres in his prime

Yossi Benayoun believes Robin van Persie is as good now as Fernando Torres was in his best form for Liverpool. Van Persie fired his 35th goal of the season in Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Stoke after claiming both the PFA and FWA Player of the Year awards last week. Benayoun has worked with both strikers and believes the Dutchman takes his rightful place as one of the best in the game. “I have been lucky enough to play with some of the best strikers in the world,” said the Israeli. “Robin is one of the best in the world. It was the same when Fernando was on fire and scoring lots of goals at Liverpool. They are on the same level as two of the best strikers in the world. “Every game at Liverpool we knew he [Torres] could score, especially with a player like Steven Gerrard behind him giving him the ball. “We know we must give Robin the ball in the right place and he will score. That is what we did against Stoke and he has been doing that all season.”