Ferran Torres shows he belongs at Man City after impressive Euro 2020

Ferran Torres can use a string of promising performances for Spain at Euro 2020 to go from strength to strength for Manchester City in the new 2021/22 season on the road to establishing himself as one of the best attacking players in the world in years to come.

Torres was just 20 years of age and had played fewer than 100 senior games for boyhood club Valencia when City saw fit to pay more than £20m for him last summer.

The young winger, who is capable of playing on either flank or through the middle as a false nine, possesses speed, intelligence and top dribbling skills. He was largely a rotation option for Pep Guardiola last season, allowing him time to settle in a brand new environment without pressure.

Torres only started 15 Premier League games while he spent all but 10 minutes of the Champions League knockout phase on the bench. But he still racked up 36 appearances in all competitions and scored 13 times, including a hat-trick in a 4-3 league win over Newcastle in May.

Torres was also a regular call-up for Spain throughout last season and it was no surprise to see him included in Luis Enrique’s squad for Euro 2020. He played at least some part in all six of La Roja’s games as they reached the semi-finals and for one so young already has 17 caps to his name.

After appearing from the bench in group games against Poland and Slovakia, scoring against the latter, the City talent was given the nod to start the last 16 clash with Croatia. He didn’t disappoint, setting up Spain’s second goal and scoring the third himself.

Torres kept his starting place for the quarter-final against Switzerland and was again selected for the semi-final, with Enrique opting to drop the much more experienced Alvaro Morata.

This was a young Spanish squad, with most players in their early or mid-twenties, potentially marking the start of a fresh cycle ahead of World Cups in 2022 and 2026 and the next European Championships in 2024. Torres could be part of all of those tournaments and more beyond.

With a year of settling under his belt, a second season at City should offer more consistent playing opportunities than his first – think of the way Bernardo Silva was allowed time to bed himself in during the 2017/18 campaign before becoming the club’s player of the year in 2018/19.

Torres could even benefit if others leave City this summer. The club has a striker high on their priorities, even if Pep Guardiola has publicly cast doubt because of asking prices. But Sergio Aguero has already left, while Bernardo, Riyad Mahrez, Gabriel Jesus and even Raheem Sterling have grown dissatisfied with their roles, although the club wants to offer the latter a new contract.

Wearing the number made famous by City legend David Silva, the stage is made for Torres to thrive.

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