Antoine Griezmann to Man Utd transfer talk proves ‘something wrong’ as Red Devils are warned off ‘short-term’ signing by ex-France international striker

The Red Devils have been linked with the World Cup-winning France international for some time, but they have never been able to get a deal over the line. Transfer speculation has resurfaced ahead of the January window in 2024, with the Premier League heavyweights still crying out for attacking inspiration.

Former United striker Louis Saha has told Paddy Power of the surprising rumours regarding his fellow countryman and a potential move to England from Atletico Madrid: “Antoine Griezmann is a talented player and unlike many players, there’s never any doubts about him. He’s very mobile and physically he’ll always find the right area. Manchester United’s interest in him show straight away that there is something wrong.

"They already have Mason Mount, but it means they’re looking at a replacement for him because Griezmann is the type of player that Manchester United need. He’s a clever player who can be in the pocket, create things and score goals. He is a great player who has scored so many goals for Atletico Madrid and it would be really exciting. But I don’t see him as a future signing for Manchester United. No disrespect to Griezmann at all, but I don’t understand why they [the Manchester United board] would be looking at him. He’s a short-term solution but I don’t see the future of Manchester United with Antoine Griezmann in it.”

United have plenty of firepower on their books, but Rasmus Hojlund is still finding his feet in a No.9 berth, Marcus Rashford has only one goal to his name this season and England international Jadon Sancho has been frozen out by Erik ten Hag. Saha added on that unfortunate saga: “The Jadon Sancho situation is horrible for everybody. As a Manchester United fan, you want to see the best players and most talented players on the pitch and Sancho is definitely one of those players that can disrupt the opposition. But, since he signed, he hasn’t performed regularly, and it’s been going on for months now so it's time to find the solution for everybody.

"We want to see him go somewhere he’s playing, scoring and enjoying his football, wherever it is he wants to go. I’m sad because I really like him when he’s in form, but it hasn’t happened for him at United. Even if Erik ten Hag considered bringing him back into the team, I doubt it would work because if he starts playing well, people will say that Ten Hag should have brought him in earlier. But if he doesn’t play well, then people will say that he shouldn’t have brought him back. It’s a very difficult situation to manage and it’s bad for the club because it’s an off-field situation that’s affected things on the pitch.”

Questions are being asked of Ten Hag as he struggles to bring the best out of an expensively-assembled squad. United – who sit sixth in the Premier League table as things stand – are set to return to action on Sunday when taking in a trip to Everton.