Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard believes that Antoine Griezmann does not want to switch from Atletico Madrid to Manchester United until Jose Mourinho’s side return to the Champions League.
The Manchester club have been missing from the crucial competition in recent years, and their Premier League title quest is toying between inconsistency and poor performances since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013.
Griezmann being linked to Manchester United seems to be a transfer tradition of late. But the 36-year-old does not see it happening until they finish in the top four.
‘He’s playing in the Champions League for Atletico Madrid,’ the former Liverpool skipper told BT Sport (via Metro).
‘He’s got a chance of competing for that, which they have done for the past couple of years.
‘And he’s probably thinking: ‘Yeah, Manchester United probably is a good move, but it’s still going to be there in the summer.’
Despite clinching six league victories in a row before securing a hard-earned draw against Liverpool last month, United have remained sixth on the table for quite some time. The Reds currently hold the final Champions League spot yet have suffered a poor run of form, putting an end to their title chase.
Besides that, Mourinho relishes a greater squad depth compared to Jurgen Klopp. The Merseyside club have failed to make a grade when Sadio Mane was involved in the Africa Cup of Nations and the German boss huffed and puffed to get things sorted out. If any key players happen to pick up injuries or face a dip in form, their top four hopes for this season will be a finished article already.
In a bigger picture, United completely dispelled the notion of Champions League pulling power as they secured the signatures of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paul Pogba in the summer with jaw-dropping fees, despite other European giants were also in the running.
Griezmann, though, will still have a soft spot for the Champions League after losing to their bitter rivals Real Madrid last year in the final. The 25-year-old has been enjoying a purple patch this season, scoring 8 league goals and picking up 4 assists to his name already. Besides the Champions League factor, United may not be in the box seat to land the France international as a number of big clubs with solid money monopoly are monitoring his situation too.
Well, one may not know if Liverpool throws in a bid in the summer to sign Griezmann as he has the potential to improve any teams out there. But with Atletico valuing their prized possession for €80 million, it’s tough to imagine Klopp changing his transfer dogma for a single player.
Meanwhile, Steven Gerrard will look to be an important cog in Liverpool’s academy wheels, having returned to the club with a coaching role. He seems to be pretty contented with his new role, being spotted with all smiles while heading to Kirkby for the first training session.
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