Liverpool legend Fernando Torres has been tipped to become the future manager of the Spain national team after taking his first steps into the coaching world.
That is according to former Atletico Madrid coach Armando de la Morena, who insisted that Torres is “always respectable both on and off the field.”
Torres, who called it time on his professional career in 2019, was appointed the head coach of Atletico’s Juvenil A (under-19s) team.
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The Atletico U19s manager, 37, recently led his side to a 3-2 victory over cross-town rivals Real Madrid Juvenil A in the UEFA Youth League on Wednesday.
Atletico U19s’ round-of-16 win at the Alfredo Di Stefano Stadium ensured their place in the Youth League quarter-finals, a feat the team haven’t achieved since 2014-15.
It is unlikely Torres will be appointed Atletico’s first-time manager any time soon, considering Diego Simeone’s success at the current champions of Spain.
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However, Morena believes that the former Liverpool and Chelsea striker is laying down the much-needed foundation for his fledgling managerial career.
“A coach like Fernando, knowing his career a bit, as a player and always with the respect that he has acted, has the conditions to be a great coach,” he told Diario AS.
“Because of how he expresses himself, the serenity that he has, the calm.
“I know it from the players too, who tell me wonders about him, how he transmits, how he gives them the concepts.
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“So what I see in him is that [...] if everything is going the right way, then we have a future coach for Spanish football and for Atletico and hopefully for the national team as well. Whatever what he wants.
“He spoke very well to you even when he was still a kid, 17, 18 years old. He is always respectable both on and off the field, for his manners and behaviour.
“After all, a coach has to be that. An example both outside and inside the field. And he meets those conditions.”
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Torres’ Atletico U19s will face Borussia Dortmund U19s in the Youth League quarter-finals in Germany on 15th March.
Topics: Fernando Torres, Spain, Football, Atletico Madrid, La Liga
Adnan Riaz