Sergio Torres says he is delighted to be wanted by Eastbourne Borough.

But he hopes Whitehawk supporters understand his reasons for joining their arch rivals.

Torres joined fellow fans’ favourite Danny Mills in leaving Hawks bound for one of their foes – Ebbsfleet in Mills’ case.

But the Argentinean said the fact Hawks had no manager in place played a part in his exit.

Torres told The Argus: “I was serious when I said I had no intention of going. I had two offers but I kept telling people I had to talk to Whitehawk first.

The Argus:

Hawks fans loved Torres and Mills

“I hadn’t heard anything from them and I have to look after myself, my family. I knew these two clubs really wanted me.”

Torres is pleased to be part of Jamie Howell’s plans at Borough after his recent switch from Bognor.

He said: “Jamie showed a real interest in signing me and talking about his plans.

“Every time I played against Bognor they wanted to play football the right way. It’s not easy to play like that in non-league so I was really surprised.

“Jamie called me and said he considers me a player who can play that way.

“Every team in this league is physically strong and it’s 100mph so maybe you can’t play that way all the time.”

Torres is likely to be welcomed back by Hawks fans when he returns with Borough for the derby next season.

He said: “I know there won’t be abuse because they don’t allow swearing. My relationship with the club was brilliant and I loved the fans.”