Ferran Torres says Man City exit was 'no brainer' as Guardiola defends him

Ferran Torres claims he could have stayed at Manchester City, but couldn't resist the lure of playing under Xavi at Barcelona.

Torres left City in January after 18 months, as the Blues turned a £20m purchase into an initial £46.7m sale, and the Spain international annoyed Blues fans when he later said he only used the club as a stepping stone to sign for Barcelona or Real Madrid.

In his first half-season at Barca, Torres recorded a respectable six goals and six assists in 25 appearances, at an average of a goal contribution every 161 minutes. Now, he says joining Barcelona was a 'no brainer' as he insisted he preferred that over winning more trophies at City.

He told El Partizado de Cope : "My season was very complicated. First I had the injury, which was very serious. Then I signed for Barca, who were going through a very difficult situation.

"I could have stayed at Manchester City winning many titles, but I wanted a new challenge. Signing for Barcelona is an honour in itself, but when Xavi calls you, it's a no brainer."

Reflecting on his own form, Torres said those scoring and assisting numbers are not his main job under Xavi, despite him playing as a striker at the start of the season for City.

He said: "As a winger I don't consider myself a striker, it's not up to me to score goals. I'm capable of scoring, when I can I have to give assists, but I'm proud that it has given the team more work than the goal. I'm ambitious and I don't want to fail, but I don't mess with my head at all."

The comments come after Pep Guardiola defended his start to life at the Nou Camp, insisting he will come good when the overall quality of the team improves.

"He's got some great numbers," Guardiola said this week. "The level of the players depends on the level of the team. If the team doesn't do well, the players seem worse. When the team plays well and finds consistency, Torres will too."