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Roy Hodgson fears West Brom will see best of Chelsea’s Fernando Torres
Aug 19, 2011 7:49:00 AM
The Baggies manager admits he did not get the most out of the Spaniard during his ill-fated spell at Liverpool but is convinced that a lengthy rest has done him good
West Brom manager Roy Hodgson has praised Chelsea striker Fernando Torres ahead of the two sides' clash at Stamford Bridge this weekend.Hodgson, who managed the Spaniard during a turbulent spell at Liverpool last season, says the striker was prevented from shining for the Reds whilst under his tutelage due to World Cup burnout.
He told reporters: "Fernando Torres is a top quality player - and I fear I shall see that at close hand on Saturday.
“I think he needed a rest, that was for certain. Has the break done Fernando a bit of good? I am sure it has - it had been a long, long year.
“I was unlucky at Liverpool that I caught him, and a few other players, on the back of a World Cup."
Hodgson, 64, also cited injuries and Torres' personal life as issues which caused the former Inter manager to miss out on the Spaniard's best form but added that he is certain that Chelsea will see a return on their €57 million investment.
“I caught him as a player, at the time, with quite serious injury problems. His wife was also having a baby, which was an important time in his life," he continued.
“If you take that short period of time that we worked together, there were a lot of things going on in his life which had little to do with actual football that I couldn’t control but maybe had a little bit of an effect.
“But I never doubted him as a person - or doubted him as a player.
“It was bold of Chelsea to pay a big transfer fee for him when the consensus was he wasn’t at his best. But I always believed it was a move which would pay dividends.”
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