Saúl: "The way in which Griezmann left wasn't the best"

Saúl Ñíguez didn't want to get too involved in Antoine Griezmann's transfer to FC Barcelona this summer.  The midfielder spoke to COPE and admitted the way in which his former teammate left wasn't the best.

“The deal was moving along but it still surprised me. He was a very important player for Atletico Madrid and the fact he left makes it complicated for us. Atleti are bigger than any player and when he wore the shirt, no one could question him. I believe the way that he left wasn't the best but he doesn't need to be abused for it either," insisted Saul.

Saul also spoke about the impressive 7-3 victory over city rivals Real Madrid during preseason.

"In the match against Madrid I feel we were intense, showing the hard work we've put in during preseason to perfection. You could see that in the scoreline. What I liked the most was the feeling amongst the team, I'm very proud of them. We did what we needed to do but we could have scored even more. When we came back to the dressing room, there was a sour taste. The result was fantastic but because they'd scored two late goals it hurt the scoreline a little. Our goalkeeper wasn't happy that we conceded two goals because we took our foot off the peddle. We must be focused for 90 minutes."