Neil Warnock praises the former Nottingham Forest winger for choosing RB Leipzig over Liverpool.
Former Leeds United and Crystal Palace manager Neil Warnock praised Oliver Burke for moving to RB Leipzig in the summer transfer window on The Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast show on talkSPORT on Friday morning (broadcast from 6am, September 2, 2016).
Burke left Nottingham Forest for Leipzig for a transfer fee reported by BBC Sport to be about £13 million.
According to The Sun (print edition, page 55, Friday, September 2, 2016), Premier League outfit Liverpool were interested in signing the 19-year-old winger from Forest (click here to read more).
It has been reported that Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was not happy with his scouting team after missing on the Scotland international.
Former Queens Park Rangers and Rotherham United manager Warnock believes that Burke should be given credit for making the decision to leave England for Germany at such a young age.
“All credit to him for going over there,” said Warnock about Burke on The Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast show on talkSPORT on Friday morning (broadcast from 6am, September 2, 2016).
“It would have been easier to stay put, wouldn’t it, and go to Liverpool or somewhere else?”
Burke is rated as one of the most promising and talented young players of Scotland.
However, former Arsenal and Celtic striker John Hartson believes that people should not get carried away.
The former Wales international has stated that comparing Burke with Real Madrid and Wales international winger Gareth Bale is premature.
“So Oli Burke is the new Gareth Bale, is he?” Hartson wrote in The Scottish Sun. “Do me a favour. No harm to the young kid who’s just moved from Nottingham Forrest to Red Bull Leipzig, but let’s get it right.
“The boy’s done nothing in the game yet and only a fool would compare him to a phenomenon like Bale.”
“Personally I can’t understand why he’s chosen to go to the Bundesliga,” added Hartson. “The move seemed to come from nowhere and happen so quickly.
“But let’s see how he handles it in Germany. Let’s see if he can score 25 goals before we start getting too excited. I hope it happens, by the way.”
Burke scored four goals and created six chances in five Championship appearances for Forest this season before moving to Leipzig.
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