Former Atletico Madrid youth coach Manolo Brinas admits Arsenal could have signed Fernando Torres as a junior.
Brinas admits there were anxious moments when first scouting the then 15 year-old.
"What we noticed about him was his fantastic change of pace," Brinas told the Mail on Sunday. "He could just accelerate away from defenders. He was doing the same things he does now at that young age. Sometimes he will score a goal now and it makes me think of a carbon copy goal he scored as a youngster with us."
Naturally, with a talent so rare there was a certain nervousness, not least when he emerged as the player of the tournament at the Nike Under 15 Cup, a competition for the leading clubs in Europe.
A scout from Arsenal approached the Torres family but it was a bigger threat, nearer to home, that worried Brinas.
He said: "I had to stay close to him. I was practically his shadow whenever we went to any big tournaments as we were afraid Real Madrid would steal him."
