Burke criticised Nottingham Forest following his departure during the summer window.
Former Nottingham Forest player John McGovern
John McGovern has hit back at Oliver Burke’s criticism of Nottingham Forest following his move to RB Leipzig in the summer, The Scottish Sun reports.
The Scottish Sun reports that the winger claimed that the Championship side did not do enough to keep him when the interest intensified before his £15m switch to the Bundesliga.
Oliver Burke left the City Ground in the summer
But McGovern – who was a key player at the City Ground during the club’s golden period under Brian Clough – has suggested that the criticism was unfair as Forest could have done little by that stage to convince him to stay.
“I don’t want to get into an argument with his agent or with Oliver, but to say that Forest did not try to keep him is a bit harsh. They were always going to lose him once big clubs came in,” he said, as reported by The Scottish Sun.
Oliver Burke in action for RB Leipzig
“Even if that club is from the German top flight, then the same thing applies.
“His agent might tell one story, and Oliver claimed Forest could have done more to keep him.
“But in the cold light of day, he was not going to want to stay once Premier League clubs were interested in him.”
Perhaps the only way that Philippe Montanier could have convinced the Scotland international to stay put would be by suggesting that he would enjoy the most first-team football by sticking with Forest.
And while he would have surely got more minutes under his belt than he has done with Leipzig had he stayed, he has still spent a good amount of time on the pitch considering that he has moved to a completely different country and joined a team that currently has just two sides above them – one being Bayern Munich – above them in the table.
And if Leipzig insisted during negotiations that Burke would feature in their first-team plans immediately, it seems unlikely, as McGovern suggests, that Forest would have been able to convince him to reject a move.
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