Manchester United could bring in Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish to Old Trafford in the summer, but the move could prove ill-fitting in the way club boss Ole Gunner Solskjaer is playing the Red Devils squad. The Norwegian was advised to reconsider planned the signing before making a final decision.
Reports said the transfer from Villa would cost United £70 million in transfer fees. United legend Paul Ince is convinced such big money is best spent if Solskjaer will instead hunt for a defensive midfielder so the team can play like Liverpool and Manchester City. The two are league leaders in the Premier League table.
According to Ince, what United needs most is a midfielder in the mold of N'Golo Kante.
"They need someone who can cover space - like an N'Golo Kante or Roy Keane. Look at what Klopp has done with Liverpool, he's got things in perfect harmony," Metro reported the Red Devils hero as saying.
He added that it seemed obvious that the path set by Solskjaer for United is to compete closely with Premier League frontrunner, so his hiring strategy has to fill up the positions in which the club will benefit most.
However, Ince clarified that he is impressed with how Grealish has been performing for Aston Villa so far. The pundit is predicting that with the way the 25-year-old is playing, he will be playing for a Top 5 Premier League club soon.
"I could also see him at Manchester City or Liverpool. Tottenham also wanted him not so long ago ... There will be plenty of suitors for Grealish. We're all saying United, but he'd fit in with any team in the top five," the former midfielder offered.
It might be that Grealish would turn out a good fit for United, but Ince insisted that the most pressing need of the Solskjaer side now is to strike a balance between the need to score goals and to maneuver for a good defense.
"All this talk of creative players, you've got to be careful about getting the balance - you still need a defensive block," the pundit further explained.
Meanwhile, Team Talk reported that once signed, Solskjaer plans to deploy Grealish on the pitch as a right-winger, likely working in tandem with United's January signing Bruno Fernandes.
The position is not exactly new to the Aston Villa skipper, but as the same report noted, Grealish flourished in the left-wing, and in the season alone, he registered nine goals and eight assists operating on what appeared as his optimal side.
It seemed strange as well that the United boss' plan for Grealish is to be a right-winger when the club is thought to be working on bringing Borussia Dortmund ace Jadon Sancho to Old Trafford. The 20-year-old is known to shine on the right side of the field, the report noted.
