Rafael Benitez and Fernando Torres have worked together on two occasions in the past, at Liverpool and Chelsea. The Spanish manager is currently in charge at Newcastle United and he has hinted at his desire of working with the striker for the third time.
Torres’ last appearance of his second spell with Atletico Madrid was during the Spanish capital club’s 3-0 victory over Marseille in the Europa League final. The trophy was the only silverware he won with his boyhood club.
The 34-year-old is a free agent and has not announced his next destination. Benitez has stressed that it would be “attractive” for Newcastle to sign Torres, but admitted it would be “harder” for the World Cup winner with Spain to make a switch to St James’ Park.
“I think it will be harder for him to come for him, not because we don’t want to. I don’t know what’s going on in his head, but maybe he is thinking about something else. It would be attractive, but I don’t think it would be easy,” Benitez told Marca.
Torres enjoyed the best part of his club football under Benitez at Liverpool. However, when the Spaniard came to Stamford Bridge as their interim manager, the striker was struggling with form. The Newcastle manager said Torres was “essential” in helping Chelsea win the Europa League.“In Liverpool he was sensational. Then we went to Chelsea and, although he had a bad time when he arrived, he was essential for us in winning the Europa League,” the former Real Madrid manager explained.
