Liverpool forward Fernando Torres has backed coach Rafael Benitez to remain at the club "for a long time".

Benitez will decide on his Liverpool future once the Champions League campaign is over as club chief executive Rick Parry signalled he wants to clear the air with the Reds manager.

The Spanish coach has expressed his shock after learning that Parry was present when American co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett met Jurgen Klinsmann in November.

But despite the troubles behind the scenes at Anfield, Torres praised his compatriot for how he has adapted to the added strains of English football and backed him to keep his job.

"Rafa has coached in Spain and England and his ideas are the same," he told Spanish radio station Marca FM.

"The difference is in Spain he was a coach and here he is a manager, coach, in charge of signings, in charge of the youth teams, the man who chooses the coaches who he thinks are the right ones for the reserve team...

"(Manchester United boss Alex) Ferguson or (Arsenal manager Arsene) Wenger are the examples that show that in England even when you're not winning trophies clubs give time to their coaches.

"I think that Benitez is going to be at Liverpool for a long time."

The boardroom drama has overshadowed what has been an exceptional first season in England for Torres.

The former Atletico Madrid man has scored 22 league goals so far and made history at the weekend in the 3-1 win over Blackburn by becoming the first player to score in seven consecutive top-flight games at Anfield.

And Torres puts his sparkling form down to the treatment he receives from everyone around him at his new club.

He said: "You notice the affection of everyone in every game. The people aren't on top of you all the time, they give you space, they give you support but they don't get on at you. I'm very happy to be here.

"They have made me feel important in this team. When you arrive at this club you see how it is structured, the level of demand, everyone expects.

"You realise that you are playing for an important club and you can see this in everyone you meet.

"My team-mates have made it rather easy for me and several times I've felt indebted to them. You feel important in the team but still the same as every player in the group."

Torres also added that while he never expected such a successful start to his Liverpool career, he is determined to enjoy it while it lasts.

"Good things can take their time to arrive, but when they come so quickly you have to enjoy it," he said.

"I dreamed of it being like this but thought it would take longer. The team is working well and we're making the most of that hard work."