Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas will give a clear indication of Fernando Torres’s place in his long-term plans when he names his team for Wednesday’s Champions League clash against Genk.
Torres has been sidelined for Chelsea’s last two Premier League games as a result of his reckless red card against Swansea on September 24, but the ban doesn’t affect European ties so the Spanish striker is available for Genk’s visit to Stamford Bridge.
Before his dismissal for a two-footed lunge on Mark Gower, Torres had finally started to show a few glimpses of the predatory instincts that persuaded Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich to pay a British record £50 million fee to sign him from Liverpool in January.
Although he missed a sitter against Manchester United, he also scored in that game and then against Swansea.
But just as things were looking up for Torres, his absence has allowed Daniel Sturridge to stake his own claim for a regular place in Villas-Boas’s plans with some vibrant goal-scoring displays against Bolton and Everton.