LIVERPOOL - LIVERPOOL manager Rafa Benitez has ruled out attempting to bring Michael Owen back to the club as a solution to his striking problems.

With Owen's Newcastle contract expiring at the end of the season, he could leave in the January transfer window for a cut-price fee.

The need for a fresh option up front was emphasised when Liverpool was held 0-0 by West Ham on Monday, sorely missing Fernando Torres who is battling a hamstring injury.

But the injury-prone 28-year-old Owen, who left Liverpool in 2004 and joined Newcastle after a year at Real Madrid, isn't Benitez's solution.

'I can guarantee we aren't going for Michael Owen,' Benitez said. -- AP