Why Grealish joining Manchester United no longer makes sense
Manchester United signing Jack Grealish in the summer appeared a foregone conclusion before the Coronavirus pandemic. The rumour mill was intense, as Grealish continued to perform superbly for relegation-threatened Aston Villa. Suddenly, however, everything has gone quiet. Grealish's reckless behaviour at the height of the virus in this country certainly didn't help matters but since then the landscape at Old Trafford has changed dramatically.
Around the turn of the year it was widely accepted this would be Paul Pogba's final season at United. Leaving the club for the second time in his career was deemed best for all parties. Pogba has only made five league starts for United in 2019/20 and Mino Raiola's war of words with the club had become tiresome. Ankle surgery at the start of January, with a view to Euro 2020, appeared to rule out Pogba for most of the season, if not all of it.
But the Premier League has been on pause since the start of March and is not due to resume until the middle of June. Euro 2020 has been pushed back 12 months. Pogba is now fully fit again and ready to make up for lost time. With transfer fees tipped to tumble as a result of the global pandemic, Pogba leaving is no longer on the table from the club's point of view. United wanted around £150m for the 2018 World Cup winner last summer and would now only be able to command less than half that fee 12 months on. It's a loss they are not willing to accept. And Pogba realises it.
With that in mind, the need to sign Grealish is suddenly no more. Even after taking out a £140m loan for transfers at the end of May, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will not be able to spend as freely as he would ideally hope. From Grealish's perspective, it would be a great shame to be denied the chance to join United. His performances this season derserve a high profile move.
Despite regularly being told he goes down too easily, there is a reason Grealish is the most fouled player in Europe's top five leagues this season (127). He is clever with his body positioning in relation to ball and opponent. Ideally he wouldn't endure the punishment he receives but he is tough to dispossess and frustrations boil over quickly. That his knocks are taken for a club battling to survive and not in pursuit of silverware must be dispiriting but it is also to his credit that he perserves.
Grealish has come on leaps and bounds since his introduction to Premier League. His first two full seasons in the division were a real struggle. In 2015/16 he went the entire campaign without finishing on the winning side (16 appearances). Three seasons in the Championship, however, provided him an opportunity to get to grips with his potential out of the media spotlight that comes with Premier League football. His performances improved year-on-year and have culminated in a superb individual campaign in 2019/20.
In fact, a battle-hardended Grealish has already played a direct hand in as many goals in just 26 league appearances this season compared to his 34 outings in the Championship last term (13).
One of Grealish's most notable achievements this season has been his chance creation from open play and was one of the main factors why United eventually swayed to the Villa captain over James Maddison. The Leicester midfielder has also been in impressive form this season and was at one stage this season United's first choice target but he is arguably most effective from set-pieces. In fact, less than half of Maddison's key passes in the Premier League have come from open play (48%). With Bruno Fernandes now at the club, United do not need to address their shortcomings from dead ball situations. 82.6% of Grealish's key passes this season, meanwhile, have come from open play. Indeed, only Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne (72) has provided more goalscoring chances from open play than Grealish (57) in the Premier League this season. All the more impressive when you consider Villa are second from bottom.
With a move to United no longer as straightforward for Grealish it leaves the midfielder in limbo. He is still likely to leave Villa at the end of the season, certainly if they are relegated, but the destination is now uncertain, particularly with post-Coronavirus budgets. With United's midfield seemingly already in place for next season, Solskjaer's eyes have moved on. Borussia Dortmund's Jadon Sancho remains his overwhelming first choice transfer target but now United are also mulling Bayer Leverkusen's Kai Havertz.
Sancho has been in sparkling form for Dortmund all season and has remarkably played a direct hand in more league goals than any other player in the Bundesliga (33). Havertz, meanwhile, has exploded into form since the turn of the year. After managing just three goals and assists in 14 league appearances during the first half of the season, the 20-year-old has remarkably played a direct hand in 13 goals in 12 Bundesliga games in 2020. His versatility has been particularly striking and will certainly appeal to Solskjaer.
Having extended Odion Ighalo's loan spell until January, United are no longer pushing for an out-and-out striker but someone that can play up front would certainly be a plus. Havertz has proved that, standing in for an injured Kevin Volland superbly. His last five league appearances have all been as a striker and he has scored six goals. Most of his career, however, has been spent playing as an attacking midfielder or out wide. Not only does that cover what Grealish's role would have been but Havertz would add another dimension to United next season. As for Grealish, however, is future, as ever, remains a mystery.
