Diego Simeone believes Julián Álvarez is steadily growing into the forward Atlético Madrid envisioned when they brought him to the club, after a commanding 2-0 UEFA Champions League victory over Manchester United.

The Atlético manager offered warm praise for his striker following the result, saying Álvarez is edging closer to the player the club want to see on the pitch.

The win underlined Atlético's credentials in this season's UEFA Champions League campaign and gave Simeone further reason for optimism over one of his key attackers.