The BIG DEBATE
Is Jack Grealish too big a liability for Manchester United?
MATTHEW DUNN
TWENTY-FIVE years ago, one of Manchester United’s stars – a player Alex Ferguson was previously told would be too much trouble to sign – was given 120 hours of community service for assaulting a fan. He had been trouble at Leeds, Sheffield Wednesday and Marseille. Yet without Eric Cantona, United may have had a much longer wait to capture that first Premier League title.
Jack Grealish is not Cantona, though. If he offered the last spark of genius that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer needed, it would be worth the risk. However, the Villa man is in danger of emulating another former United star – Lee Sharpe, a player with prodigious talent but also a love for partying and too much of a tendency towards self-destruction.
Best leave Grealish well alone.
JIM HOLDEN
TROUBLE off the field for footballers tends to be a temporary setback – certainly if the talent is dazzling enough.
The better they are, the more likely it is that episodes of poor behaviour will be forgotten with the passage of time.
In the case of Grealish and a potential move to United in the summer, other factors will be more significant than his folly in going to a late-night party during this time of lockdown.
How good is he? How much will he cost? Will he suit our style of play? Will he be value for money? These will be the vital questions at Old Trafford.
United are being linked with several targets, among them Jadon Sancho (£120million) and Harry Kane (£120m). Surely, they are both bigger priorities and if the numbers are accurate and the deals go through, there is unlikely to be extra cash for a Grealish deal.
GIDEON BROOKS
IT feels right there should be collateral damage for Grealish, in addition to likely insurance claims after allegedly damaging some parked cars on Sunday.
Neither his mealy-mouthed apology, nor a club fine of £120,000 for someone earning nearly £4m a year, will calm those wanting extra sanctions.
More may come, though, when Gareth Southgate picks his next England squad, and if United decide in the summer that, for all his talent, he is still having trouble growing up.
United have made much of the rigorous profiling they go through to identify signings. If they are true to their words, Grealish’s behaviour this week should throw up red flags.
If the club finally manage to get rid of Paul Pogba, they should perhaps think twice about taking on a player who also appears to find it tough sticking to the rules.