Skip to main content

Reina: Hungry Torres in great shape

With record Spain scorer David Villa ruled out of the tournament, Torres is primed to put a lengthy period of poor form behind him, Reina, who played with the striker at Liverpool, told a news conference in Berne ahead of Wednesday's friendly against South Korea.

"It's been a while since I have seen him like this," Reina said.

"Physically, he is in good shape. Mentally he feels he is an important player in the national team, all the more so since Villa pulled out, and he relishes that role," he added.

"He feels comfortable and he looks switched on. Hopefully, he will have a good European Championships and Spain will feed off his goals."

The 28-year-old known as "El Nino" (the kid) came off the bench to net the goal that killed off Barcelona in their Champions League semi-final second leg and looked sharp when thrown into the fray in the final against Bayern Munich, winning the corner that led to Didier Drogba's leveller.

"He seems less closed, with a positive attitude and the pleasure you get from coming to play for the national team," Del Bosque, who dropped Torres for a friendly against Venezuela in February, said.

"He has spirit and is in a very positive mood," added the former Real Madrid player and coach.