London: Chelsea chief executive Ron Gourlay has played down reports linking Fernando Torres with an exit from Stamford Bridge this summer.
The Spanish striker, who has notched up only 12 goals since his £50-million move from Liverpool last year, had to settle for a place on the bench during Saturday night's Champions League victory over Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena.
The Blues prevailed 4-3 on penalties after the match had ended 1-1 following extra time, with Torres introduced just before the end of normal time. He was also not included in the initial list of penalty takers.
"Everybody wants to play, and at the end of the day I would be very surprised if Fernando, who has been awesome really, [didn't]," Gourlay told Sky Sports News. "I'm sure he wanted to play more games, I'm sure he wanted more time on the field as every professional player does."
"But at the end of the day [manager] Robbie [Di Matteo] picked the team to start the game. Fernando came on - we were behind at that stage - and he played a big part to help us win the Champions League final."
Gourlay insisted that Torres might feel hard done by following the decision, but must continue to fight for his place in the team.
"Players who are left out for such a big occasion, it must have been very very difficult for Robbie and for the guys on the sidelines as well as Fernando," he said.
"It's the emotion of the time as well. The biggest day in our history, and there was emotion at different levels all over the field and all over the players, so you've got to take these things into account."
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