United could return with Grealish bid
MA NCHESTER United are still i nt e r e s t e d in signing Jack Grealish despite the collapse of his move from As t o n Vi l l a in September.
Grealish captains Villa at Old Trafford tonight but could have been lining up for United if they had agreed to pay the £100million asking price. United are among a number of top European clubs weighing up a bid for Grealish in the summer, although the transfer fee is likely to have gone up.
United refused to pay more than £65m and then pulled out of the deal in September due to the financial impact of the pandemic, having already spent £40m on Donny van de Beek.
Grealish, who had told friends he was on his way to Old Trafford, signed a new five-year contract at Villa Park 24 hours later. United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was coy when asked about the 25-year-old ahead of tonight’s game.
‘I don’t want to say too much about other teams’ players but he’s a player we know we have to look for,’ said Solskjaer. ‘He has only improved. The goal he scored (against United) last season was a brilliant goal and we’ve faced him enough times to know it’s going to be a difficult game.’
Serious questions were asked of Solskjaer after United were dumped out of the Champions League in Leipzig. How much progress has he made at Old Trafford? Is he the right man to take the club forward after two trophyless years in charge?
Tonight, United face Villa looking for the win that would take them joint top of the Premier League.
Solskjaer’s star is ascending again and the shadow of Mauricio Pochettino will disappear if the f ormer Tottenham manager’s return to the dugout with Paris Saint-Germain is confirmed.
The United boss has been reluctant to discuss the title race at this stage of the season.
These are still early days and he knows how quickly fortunes can change, particularly in a table in which only ten points separate the top 11 teams.
But Solskjaer said last month that he would know a lot more about United’s prospects after a Christmas programme packed with six games in 16 days and the response from his players has been pretty emphatic. A run of five games, four wins and one draw speaks for itself. Perhaps, more importantly, he can finally see a change in mentality after two years at the helm.
‘Definitely,’ said Solskjaer. ‘One, they’re two years older than when I came. Two, some of them are really strong personalities who we’ve brought in and they have been a really good influence.
‘We have competition for places which means you cannot go around and think you can just fake your way being part of this team. You only deserve to be in a team that you contribute to.
‘Everyone has realised they are privileged to be part of such a fantastic club with a fantastic history. When you’re here, enjoy it and maybe you will experience some fantastic times.’
Solskjaer did just that under Sir Alex Ferguson, whose 79th birthday yesterday coincided with the death of former United manager Tommy Docherty, 92.
Late goals were a hallmark of Ferguson’s teams and Solskjaer was encouraged by the manner of Marcus Rashford’s stoppage-time winner against Wolves on Tuesday evening.
‘The belief is there more that we don’t have to press the panic button,’ he added.
‘It’s very seldom that you can blow teams away and win by half-time. Then subs will come on and make a difference. That’s happened so many times for us.’
Meanwhile, United striker Edinson Cavani has been banned for three matches and fined £100,000 for using the word ‘negrito’ in a social media post in November.