Fernando Torres has insisted he was under no pressure to leave Chelsea last summer and stressed he made a loan move to AC Milan because he "needed to feel important" after a troubled spell at Stamford Bridge.
Torres struggled to make his mark following his 50 million pound move from Liverpool to Chelsea in January 2011, with Blues boss Jose Mourinho less than complimentary about the performances of the Spanish striker throughout last season.
Despite that, Torres has insisted he left Chelsea for his own reasons as he offered polite words for Mourinho in quotes appearing in the Evening Standard.
"The decision to leave was a personal one because I needed more, I needed to feel important," stated Torres. "Mourinho and I have a good relationship and still today we continue to talk to each other. He has always been good to me."
Torres confirmed he was never offered the chance to return to his former club Atletico Madrid, despite reports throughout last summer linking him with a switch to the Spanish capital following Diego Costa's 32 million pound move to Stamford Bridge.
"There wasn't a real option to return. They speculated with it and I didn't like that," added Torres. "I've said it many times, I won't go to Atletico to retire. I will go if I have motivation to compete because the Atletico of today is very different than when I was there. I follow them every weekend. It [returning] is an option that isn't real."
Torres also suggested he is eager to revive his international career after being left out of coach Vincente Del Bosque's recent squad selections, but his recent form has not boosted those hopes for a recall as he has scored just once in his first seven appearances for AC Milan.