'Arsenal lacked a player of that profile' - Suarez tips Partey to shine

Denis Suarez has tipped former team-mate Lucas Torreira to be a big hit with Atletico Madrid and says Thomas Partey will provide something Arsenal have been lacking under Mikel Arteta.

Suarez, who spent the second half of the 2018/19 season on loan with the Gunners from Barcelona, could come up against Torreira when Celta Vigo host Atletico Madrid on Saturday - a game that is live on LaLigaTV.

Torreira completed his season-long loan switch to the Spanish capital on deadline day before immediately linking up with the Uruguay squad for their fixtures against Chile and Ecuador.

But he has now returned to Madrid and could make his Atletico debut this weekend when Diego Simeone’s side travel to the Estadio de Balaidos.

And that will see him come against Suarez, who joined Celta Vigo in a £14.5 million ($19m) move shortly after returning to Barcelona following what turned out to be an injury hit loan spell in north London.

The 26-year-old is now rebuilding his career on Spain’s northwest coast and speaking to Goal ahead of Saturday’s meeting with Madrid, he said Torreira has all the attributes needed to be a success in Spain.

“Lucas Torreira is a player with good technique,” said Suarez. “He presses and plays strong, so he is an ideal player for Simeone.”

Torreira will not be the only former team-mate Suarez will meet on Saturday when Celta host Madrid.

Luis Suarez, who has scored two goals in three games since joining Atletico from Barcelona, will also be in action having returned from international duty with Uruguay.

“It’s going to be strange to play against Luis because he has been my colleague,” said the Spain international.

“He has started the season really well and has proved that he is a good player who scores a lot of goals, but on Saturday I hope he does not score and we win the match.”

Suarez meanwhile continues to pay close attention to goings on at Arsenal following his short spell in north London during the second half of the 2018/19 campaign,

A pelvic problem limited the attacking midfielder to just six appearances for the Gunners having arrived from Barcelona in January 2019 and it was one he believes stopped him ever showing his full potential in the Premier League.

But he still has some fond memories of his time with Arsenal and believes the deadline day addition of midfielder Thomas Partey could be exactly what his former club need to take them to the next level.

“Arsenal lacked a player of that profile," said Suarez. "Thomas, because of his physique, will feel comfortable in England,”

With the injury he sustained while at Arsenal now behind him, Suarez is back making up for lost time at Celta Vigo - the club he started his career at 10 years ago before moving to Manchester City as a teenager

He made 28 appearances in all competitions last season and has started four of Celta’s five games in La Liga so far in the current campaign.

After a period in his career which saw him struggling for game time, Suarez admits he is now feeling settled once again.

“When I was young and at Celta I always thought I would like to play in the top division with Celta,” he said. “It was always something I had in my mind.

“I think I’ve started well this season with no physical problems, which is very important for me after my experiences last year with my injuries.

Partey vows to bring Arsenal 'back to where they belong'

“I haven’t had a pre-season because I only trained for a week, so the first four matches can be considered to be like a pre-season. I think after match day five or six, I will be a better player for Celta.

“But I feel good out on the pitch and I want to improve on last season’s performance.”

Celta Vigo vs Atletico Madrid is live on LaLigaTV this Saturday at 3pm. Sign up to watch all of LaLiga all in one place on LaLigaTV from £5.99 per month: