Aston Villa ace Jack Grealish has been linked with Manchester United heavily in the recent weeks. It appears that United have been interested in the player for nearly a decade.
As per reports, the Premier League giants tried to sign him in back in 2012. However, Alex McLeish managed to fend off the interest and keep him at the club.
Jack Grealish – target of Manchester United
Apparently, Grealish met with an agent back then who was trying to bring him to Old Trafford.
McLeish said: “At that moment we felt people were getting in contact with him to leave Villa. That was one of the main reasons to get him involved with us [in the first team]. He would have been on the bench anyway because of the casualties we had. He was the best youngster coming through.
“When we played Man United we heard he was in a restaurant being courted by one of the agents to try and get him to Man United. We were a bit alarmed about that so we fought well to keep him. We knew he loved Villa, his old man as well. We had them in speaking to them. They’re lovely people.
“They asked for something and the club went it’s too much but, finally, you come to an agreement and everybody’s happy. Jack stayed at Aston Villa, which is great to see one of the great players of Villa nowadays staying with his boyhood club.”
It will be interesting to see if Villa keep him this time.
The 24-year-old has been fantastic this season and he is ready to play for a top team. If United manage to sign him, he would certainly improve them.
Grealish would add goals, creativity and drive to United’s midfield. He is an excellent creator and his ability to engage defenders will allow the likes of Rashford and Martial to flourish in the extra space.
Aston Villa are currently battling relegation and they will struggle to keep Grealish if they do not stay up.
He is too good to play in the Championship right now. It would be better for him to move on even if Villa manage to beat the drop.
Grealish needs a bigger platform and a bigger challenge to grow as a footballer. It will be interesting to see where he ends up this summer.
