The Red Devils were tipped to sign the French forward this summer but he has explained how he felt like he had to stay at the La Liga club after they received a transfer ban.

That has led to United moving on to other targets with Alvaro Morata expected to move from Real Madrid to Old Trafford.

When asked about the supposed phone call to Mourinho, Griezmann was quick to deny any such communication.

“No, no, no. No, that’s totally made up. False. It was my decision. I communicated it to the club. That’s it,” he told FourFourTwo.

“I have stayed mainly because of the transfer ban. Atletico needed me now more than ever and I felt I had to stay.

“It would be dirty to leave. I wouldn’t have been myself, or the person that I feel I am today, if I had left this club in that way.

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“I spoke to Diego Simeone about the situation, our options and how he wanted me to stay to work out what we could do.

“Then we finalised everything with [chief executive] Miguel Angel Gil.

Antoine Griezmann has explained his Manchester United snub

“I have too much respect for this club and the people in it to leave now because, just like Real Sociedad, they’ve given me everything.”

United may have missed out on Griezmann but they have already signed centre-back Victor Lindelof from Benfica.

And the Red Devils are closing in on Chelsea’s Nemanja Matic and Morata as they prepare for a return to the Champions League.