Steven Gerrard has admitted that Fernando Torres’ decision to leave Liverpool for Chelsea in 2011 left him 'heartbroken' and revealed he tried everything to keep the striker at Anfield.
Speaking on the Robbie Fowler Podcast, Gerrard said: 'I was really, really gutted. We’re working so hard to try and get as close as we can to close the gap and challenge. At a really key time, a big player gets taken away and it takes time to recover.'
The former Liverpool captain added that he had a close relationship with Torres and attempted to persuade him to stay, but ultimately the decision was out of his hands. 'I’ve told Fernando that. I tried to get him to stay. I told his agent the same. They made a decision and it hurt a lot.'
Despite the heartbreak, Gerrard rates Luis Suarez as the best player he played alongside, though he believes his own peak years coincided with Torres. 'If you asked me who was the best player on a daily basis, Suarez was an animal but my best years were alongside Torres in terms of how I felt.'
