Atlético Madrid youth team coach Abraham Garcia has recalled the first time he saw Liverpool star Fernando Torres playing as a 15 year-old.

Torres came through the youth system at Atletico before eventually captaining the club.

Garcia told the Guardian: "I remember the first time I saw him very clearly. He surprised me: he was barely 15 years old and yet he was already very physically imposing. He was a great athlete, tall and strong and quick. His physical condition was incredible. He was very much a modern footballer. In modern football you need to have speed and power and he had it right from the start. I have been fortunate enough to work with a lot of kids who have made it as first division professionals - over 30 of them - but you could see that Fernando was special. He was elegant in his running, like a sprinter."

Garcia also reveals the Premiership suits Torres' style of play.

He adds: "What Fernando has achieved with Liverpool is admirable. He is improving and the English game suits him - he has grown stronger because so much more physical contact is allowed; he enjoys that side of the game and with space in front of him he is lethal. When he plays for Spain he has to drop deep and use space more judiciously. But he can do that too. He gets better and better."