'Suarez's two goals didn't stand out for me', says Simeone

Simeone highlighted Suarez’s assist and movement off the ball as more impressive than his two debut goals for Atletico Madrid.

Luis Suarez only had 20 minutes to impress on his Atletico Madrid debut against Granada on Sunday; yet did so in style. The striker bagged an assist with only his second touch of the ball for Marcos Llorente’s goal. He then opened his account for the club with a header and scored a second in stoppage-time.

Barcelona may have felt the 33-year-old was no longer good enough for their criteria, but his performance on Sunday suggested otherwise.

The Uruguayan could be much valuable addition to Atletico and will hope to follow in David Villa’s footsteps by winning the LaLiga title with the club straight out of Barcelona in one go.

Despite Suarez already getting off the mark at the Wanda Metropolitano, however, Diego Simeone was more impressed by the player’s other achievements.

“His two goals didn’t stand out for me, but his assists, his runs, and his movement did,” said the Atletico boss as quoted on Marca after the 6-1 win over Granada.

“His arrival generates a very good internal competition and if the 23 [players] accept the minutes they’re going to get, I’m sure we’ll compete well.”

Diego Costa, Angel Correa, and Joao Felix were also on target in Atletico’s victory on Sunday.

The Colchoneros struggled to reach their usual standards last season and, at one point, their customary top-three finish was in doubt. An equal league-best of 16 draws was one reason for their struggles. While they could protect their own back-line well, a lackluster return in the upper half proved costly.

Simeone, in particular, had a difficult time getting his squad up to the club’s high level after losing several key men, including Antoine Griezmann and Diego Godin.

“From my perspective, when it comes to building a squad, I look for guys who know how to perform and who accept when they play and when they don’t,” added the Argentine.

“That’s how great teams are formed.

“That’s what gives you the possibility of having more options. That’s what we’re looking for season by season.

“The arrival of an important player improves the team, but the team was already working very well.

“Now we’ll continue taking it game by game, like always.”

The newly-promoted Huesca await Atletico for their next LaLiga match on Wednesday evening.