SAYS ALEX McLEISH

ALEX McLEISH has revealed Manchester United nearly snapped up Jack Grealish for just £200,000 compensation as schoolboy. Big Eck was in charge of Aston Villa when the Old Trafford club and boss Sir Alex Ferguson tried to poach the 16-year-old wonderkid away from the Midlands club in 2012. United pulled out all the stops, with Grealish and his family even dining at Rio Ferdinand’s table at his Manchester restaurant Rosso. But McLeish and his academy chief Bryan Jones got the club to give the gifted schoolboy a tasty contract. McLeish even put Grealish on the bench for the first team at home to Chelsea to show Villa’s serious intentions. The starlet went on to sign a three-year contract at his boyhood club on his 17th birthday when he turned professional that September. Grealish didn’t actually make his senior debut until the penultimate day of the 2013-2014 season, coming on as a sub for Ryan Bertrand. But the classy midfielder has since established himself as one of the best English prospects around ahead of tomorrow’s League Cup Final. United are now back in for the Villa captain, 24, this summer when the potential bill will millions more. Yet it all could have turned out differently as McLeish revealed to Record Sport. The former Scotland boss said: “Bryan told me Jack’s contract was coming up and he was getting courted by Manchester United.

“All the heads of department at Villa discussed it in a meeting and I agreed with Bryan 100 per cent that we had to keep him.

“Maybe it was unprecedented money we were giving to an academy kid but it has turned out to be a great bit of business.

“I used to watch the academy games and he was a precocious young talent, something you treasure. He stood out and wore his socks down even then.

“I remember his dad came in my office and we said we would do everything we could to make Jack happy and stay at Villa.

“We concocted getting him on the bench against Chelsea just to give him a taste but the next month, on the same day the first team were at Old Trafford, Jack and an agent were seen at Rio Ferdinand’s restaurant that night.

“I am sure Jack was really happy being wanted by other massive teams but you knew his heart was at Villa.

“It was just a case of sorting out a suitable package.”

Despite United’s long-term interest, Grealish still remains focused on keeping Villa in the Premier League and leading them out at Wembley.

The top-flight strugglers are massive underdogs tomorrow against holders Manchester City.

But McLeish pulled off his own huge upset in the 2011 League Cup Final when Birmingham beat Arsenal 2-1.

January signing Obafemi Martins from Rubin Kazan