JACK GREALISH should leave Aston Villa for Manchester United to prove that he can handle the pressure of playing for a big club, according to Paul Scholes.
The Villa skipper was heavily linked with the Red Devils last year.
Jack Grealish has been on fire for Aston Villa this seasonCredit: AFP
Put off by the price tag, however, United instead moved for Donny van de Beek, while Grealish penned a new five-year deal with his boyhood club.
But Scholes, 46, hasn’t given up on seeing the England star arrive at Old Trafford.
As part of a discussion regarding whether Grealish could win PFA Player of the Year, Scholes told Optus Sports: “Don’t get me wrong, I love the player, but if he was doing this at Man United, Liverpool, City, one of the top clubs, then he’d be up there, he’d possibly be top three.
“There is no pressure on Villa. If he is at a top club then he needs to win every week. He needs to leave Villa to prove that (he is a top player).”
Scholes then compared the attacking midfielder to a West Ham legend, adding: “Jack Grealish is probably the same (as Paolo Di Canio).
“It is all about him at Aston Villa. He needs to get out now to a club that need to win every week, there is pressure to deliver trophies.
“He is capable of doing it, but there will always be a doubt until you do it.”
Fellow analyst Joe Cole agreed with Scholes, although felt able to relate with Grealish’s situation.
Paul Scholes wants to see Grealish handle the extra ‘pressure’ of Man UtdCredit: Getty – Pool
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He said: “I’ve been in that team where you are the player people look to, when I was younger at West Ham.
“I got itchy feet at a certain age – I wasn’t developing as a player because I was trying to do things I wasn’t good at, trying to do everything.
“At times with Jack (it is the same, although) he has cracked it a little bit this year with better players around him.
“When he goes to a bigger club – which he needs to – he will go onto the next level.”
Grealish has enjoyed a stunning season with Villa, scoring six times and assisting a further 12 goals in the Premier League, while also breaking into the England squad.
But Cole has warned that things may get more challenging, should he opt to move.
‘A different kind of pressure’
He added: “When you are playing in a struggling team, it is tough. When you have a big game it is more satisfying because he is dragging his whole team with him.
“But the next challenge is can he go and link into a Manchester United team.
“(But) then you can’t have three bad games in a row. If you’re at Man City, you cant have two bad games in a row because there is someone to take your place… it is a different kind of pressure.”
Joe Cole can relate to Grealish’s situationCredit: Getty – Contributor
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Emi Martinez says Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish reminds him of Lionel Messi
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
