Gabi: Koke, Gimenez and Saul will assume Griezmann's role at Atletico Madrid

Former Atletico Madrid captain Gabi Fernandez believes that the likes of Koke, Saul and Jose Gimenez will step up to the plate as leaders of the squad when Antoine Griezmann departs.

The Spaniard, who recently won the Qatari league with Al Saad alongside Xavi Hernandez, commented on the Frenchman's imminent departure.

"Koke, Gimenez and Saul are very important players who will assume this role," Gabi said.

The 35-year-old is confident that Atletico will recover from Griezmann's loss "because the badge and the club are above any player".

"I think football is like this, each one makes the decisions that they want and, as I said a while ago, to play at Atletico Madrid should not be an obligation, but rather a pride," he told Efe.

"It is a personal decision that one must respect. We must appreciate everything he has done for the club and wish him well in his new spell," he concluded.