LIVERPOOL face an anxious wait to discover the full extent of the injury suffered by Fernando Torres in the World Cup final – as Palermo reveal a Lucas bid.

The striker pulled up shortly before the final whistle of Spain’s 1-0 extra-time win over Holland in Johannesburg on Sunday night.

Early reports are that Torres has damaged his left adductor but Liverpool will have to wait at least another 24 hours to find out the severity of the problem.

Torres returned to Madrid last night where he took part in Spain’s celebrations after helping his country win the World Cup for the first time in its history.

He will now be assessed by Spain’s medical team to get a clearer picture of the injury that forced him to pull up as he chased the ball down in Soccer City.

The Liverpool forward struggled for fitness and form in South Africa after undergoing knee surgery in April and had to settle for a place on the bench for much of the final before replacing David Villa in extra-time.

Manager Vicente Del Bosque opted to replace Torres with Barcelona’s Pedro for the semi-final over Germany and stuck with the same line-up for the final.

This latest setback has come after an injury plagued campaign for Torres, who was restricted to just 29 starts in all competitons for Liverpool last season.

Torres will now begin a three week break before returning to Merseyside to link up with his teammates following the club’s pre-season training camp in Switzerland.

This will be the third successive year the 26-year-old has not had a full summer break. Last year he took part in the Confederations Cup in South Africa, 12 months after scoring the winning goal against Germany in the final of the European Championships in Vienna.