Soccer:Spain striker Fernando Torres could miss selection for next year's European championship if he does not get more playing time with club Chelsea, Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque has said.
The defending champions have been drawn in Group C alongside the Republic of Ireland, Italy and Croatia, but their hopes of retaining the title have already been hit by an injury to forward David Villa that has thrown the spotlight onto Torres.
The former Liverpool striker was a key member of the Spain squad that won the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2008 but the 27-year-old’s chances of going to Poland and Ukraine this summer could be hit by his lack of success at Chelsea over the last 12 months .
Torres became the most expensive player transferred between British clubs when he moved from Liverpool to Chelsea a year ago, but the former Atletico Madrid man has found goals and form hard to come by so far at Stamford Bridge.
He has netted just five times in 23 games since his January move to London from Liverpool and seven of his 12 Chelsea appearances this season have been as a substitute.
When asked about Torres, Del Bosque told AS newspaper: “It’s a concern. He isn’t playing much...there are five months to go to the European Championships, in which everything can turn around.
“But if the situation doesn’t change it’s going to be difficult for him. Fernando deserves respect for his career, and he has our confidence. But if he doesn’t play...well, time will tell.
“If he plays and he’s fine he will go to the Euros. He has contributed to the success we’ve had and he has some leeway.”
Torres, who is aware of Del Bosque’s fears, could have the ideal opportunity to push his case over the next month as fellow Chelsea striker Didier Drogba is set to be on African Nations Cup duty, while Nicolas Anelka is moving to China.
Another striking worry for Del Bosque is the serious injury sustained by Villa earlier this month, with the Barcelona player suffering a broken shinbone which is set to keep him sidelined for between four and five months.
That means that the prolific hitman faces a race to be fit for the start of Euro 2012.
Del Bosque said: “He’s Spain’s leading goalscorer and he’s got us out of trouble many times. Villa is important, but the doctors are optimistic and so is he. We’ll see.”
The veteran manager has other options for the forward line, including Athletic Bilbao’s Fernando Llorente, who is currently out injured, and Sevilla’s Alvaro Negredo.
Valencia captain Roberto Soldado, who has scored 11 goals in La Liga and five in the Champions League this season, is also pushing hard for a recall and Del Bosque said that if he maintained his form he would be selected. The 26-year-old has represented Spain twice, in June 2007, when he failed to score.
“If Roberto Soldado maintains his current form we’ll include him in our plans,” Del Bosque said. “In the last few months Soldado has stood out, scoring goals which is the barometer of forwards, while others have been in difficult situations,” he added.
“Villa and Llorente are injured, Torres has not played much. What nobody should doubt is that I will try to be fair.”
