LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 29:  Chelsea's Fernando Torres during the Barclays Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Chelsea at Selhurst Park on March 29, 2014 in London, England.  (Photo by Scott Heavey/Getty Images) Scott Heavey/Getty Images former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy has revealed his old team-mates were “ negative ” about Fernando Torres ‘ ability while the Spaniard romped through Premier League defences at Anfield. Torres has failed to hit the heights of his Merseyside days since joining Chelsea for £50 million in 2011.

Murphy suggests that, now that the hitter ‘s unstoppable pace and power has dissipated, his technical slope is n’t beneficial enough to overcome the load of playing at Stamford Bridge—something his former team-mates acknowledged years ago. Murphy told Ian Cruise of talkSPORT :

I remember when he was doing well at Liverpool taking ( sic ) to a match of the lads there and they were a bite negative about his technical ability and what he didn ’ t have, rather than what he did have, which was pace and power. But the respite of his game has never been perfective, far from it, in fact. There was a spell at Liverpool when he was unplayable because of his power and his yard, but once he lost that and his confidence went he became reliant on his technical ability, which he ’ mho not very good at – his hold up play, his spend, his decision make, which is severe .

LIVERPOOL, UNITED KINGDOM - NOVEMBER 22:  Fernando Torres of Liverpool is challenged by Danny Murphy of Fulham during the Barclays Premier League match between Liverpool and Fulham at Anfield on November 22, 2008 in Liverpool, England.  (Photo by Clive Ma clive Mason/Getty Images Murphy ‘s comments intensify the spotlight on Chelsea ‘s misfiring forward. Torres was dropped to the workbench for the Blues ‘ 3-1 Champions League loss to Paris Saint-German and failed to influence the game as a substitute on the hour bell ringer. Jose Mourinho appeared to aim a thinly veiled dig his way after the match. The portuguese boss opted to start Andre Schurrle—who is n’t a lifelike striker—in Torres ‘ plaza, but witnessed no impact from the early Atletico Madrid man when he entered proceedings. Mourinho was n’t best please after the match, telling reporters :

I ’ megabyte not happy with my strikers ’ performances therefore I had to try things. And with Andre at least I know we have one more player to have the ball, one more musician to associate with the early players, evening though he ’ s not a striker.

But football is not precisely about that. It ’ sulfur besides about scoring goals, getting behind, and that is for strikers. real number strikers .

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indeed, Torres ‘ stats are far from convincing this season. He has netted seven goals across 29 appearances in the Premier League and Europe, with just four coming in the early competition, per WhoScored.com. Like Samuel Eto’o and Demba Ba, he is n’t creating many opportunities to score, as noted by Opta Joe : Murphy is decline when outlining Torres ‘ pace and power as his main attributes, but few would have predicted the striker ‘s prolong drop from decorate. many believed his original bust of hapless Chelsea form was merely a phase—similar to that suffered by most players—but it ‘s fair to say the lack of improvement across three years suggests the hitter has permanently lost his flicker. Michael Regan/Getty Images

Torres ‘ future appears predictable. The Daily Mail ‘s Matt Barlow reports Inter Milan ‘s interest, a move that would be perfect for the 30-year-old. Serie A is typically a haven for players who are slowing down—think Francesco Totti, Andrea Pirlo and Javier Zanetti—suggesting El Nino could save face with a golden spell at the San Siro. The 2010 World Cup winner ‘s circumscribed displays ensure he is a doubt for this summer ‘s tournament. In many ways, if he fails to make Vicente del Bosque ‘s squad, the four-year menstruation from which he lifted the external trophy will define his career adenine much as the lead-up to Spain ‘s prevail .