Can Rafa Benitez revive Fernando Torres’ career at Newcastle United?

Look at Fernando Torres’ goalscoring record since he left Liverpool for Chelsea in 2011, and the pattern which emerges is one of a striker in steady decline. In truth, Torres may have begun the long fall from his pedestal in the months before he departed Anfield in a flurry of cash and hasty goodbyes, but half a season under Roy Hodgson is often enough to topple even the loftiest careers.

While Torres may have suffered from tepid chemistry with Hodgson – not to mention the rudimentary football during his tenure – he had no such problem with the Englishman’s predecessor at Liverpool. It was Rafa Benitez who first brought Torres to the Premier League in 2007, and Benitez who presided over the most prolific spell of his career.

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Torres scored more goals in his first season at Anfield than he has in the last four with Atletico Madrid, and is now rumoured to be on the brink of a reunion with Benitez with a view to rediscovering some semblance of form. Having made 10 appearances without scoring this season reports suggest that he could be loaned to Newcastle in January, though it would only be a short-term arrangement with Torres still planning to retire with his boyhood team.

So could Rafa be the man to revive Torres’ flagging fortunes and help him win back a starting spot at Atletico? There’s no reversing the ageing process, and Torres seems to have suffered from the inexorable march of time more than most.

Having lost the relentless energy which made him so dangerous for Liverpool, few would expect the 33-year-old to reach double figures in the Premier League from January onwards. That doesn’t mean he couldn’t be a useful addition for Newcastle, especially given their struggles up front.

Certainly compared to Joselu, Aleksandar Mitrovic and Dwight Gayle, Torres would represent an injection of quality. While his best days are long behind him, Newcastle’s strikers aren’t exactly prolific – or even particularly efficient – in the league.

The Toon’s strong start to the season has been undermined by their lack of purpose in attack, with a total of 10 goals in 11 league games hardly the envy of the division. Torres is no longer an aggressive goal getter, but he would add attacking experience and intelligence to a meandering team.

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Barring a mini-revival at Atletico a couple of years ago, Torres’ goal haul has declined season on season for almost half a decade. The only other exception to that rule is the 2012-13 campaign, when Rafa Benitez took over as interim manager at Chelsea.

While it was a strange season for the Blues and one in which they could only win the Europa League, Torres was revitalised once more under Benitez, putting together several scoring runs and chalking up 22 goals in all competitions.

If Benitez can get the same motivation and commitment from Torres this season, his former attacking talisman could make a vital contribution to keeping Newcastle in the Premier League.