New Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has described Fernando Torres's career at Stamford Bridge as "so-so" since his £50m move from Liverpool.
The Spaniard finished last season as Chelsea's top goalscorer in all competitions, but he has failed to find the form of his days at Anfield.
Mourinho insisted that people are right to expect more of Torres, but also dropped a hint that the 29-year-old could be given a chance by claiming that he has not been as bad as has been made out.
"Torres so far is so-so," The Mirror quotes Mourinho as saying. "Somebody could expect more because of his potential, because of what he did before, but not so bad as people sometimes try to say. There is a balance.
"Normally the tendency is to say it was a big mistake. It was a big mistake because it didn't work.
"Real Madrid and Kaka didn't work 100%. It's not a mistake, it's just a consequence of football and reasons."
Torres has expressed an interest in working with Mourinho, although he has also been linked with a move to Napoli as part of a deal for Edinson Cavani.
Sam Hughes
