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Gary Lineker and Cesc Fabregas make Man Utd transfer decision look worse
Manchester United were stubborn in the summer, refusing to pay over the odds for several stars.
Jack Grealish: Cross compares midfielder to Paul Gascoigne
Manchester United were linked with a number of big signings over the summer, but they had a fairly quiet transfer window in the end, their only major signings for money coming in the form of Donny van de Beek and Alex Telles. So did they miss a trick in not splashing the big bucks on Jack Grealish?
High praise from Gary Lineker and Cesc Fabregas on social media may show Manchester United made a transfer blunder when it comes to Jack Grealish.
Aston Villa captain Grealish made his competitive debut for England on Sunday in the 2-0 defeat to Belgium.
Despite the disappointing Nations League loss, there was plenty of praise for Grealish.
The 25-year-old made his trademark daring runs, and was comfortably the best player on the park for the Three Lions.
And among those to heap praise onto Grealish was Match of the Day presenter Lineker and Monaco midfielder Fabregas.
“Love watching @JackGrealish, such a delightful footballer,” Lineker tweeted.
While Fabregas wrote: “Great personality Jack Grealish.”
Grealish was linked with a move to Manchester United over the summer, but a move never came to fruition.
It’s thought the Red Devils were unwilling to meet Villa’s hefty price tag, which ultimately led to the midfielder signing a new contract at Villa Park.
But his development into the England side may show that United were wrong not to bite the bullet on Grealish, especially with Donny van de Beek failing to nail down a starting spot.
England manager Gareth Southgate described Grealish as “outstanding” in the Belgium defeat.
"Today was a great game for us to see him in. I couldn't speak highly enough of his performance," Southgate said.
"I thought Jack Grealish had an absolutely outstanding game. Losing Raheem Sterling and Marcus Rashford, we lose a lot of speed. But I can't fault the attacking play until the last chance.
"I saw what I knew I would see from Jack, someone with the bravery to play. He took the ball in tight areas, his technique was good, we knew he would buy a lot of free-kicks.
“I thought he was outstanding - he should be delighted. I explained to him what we wanted to see when we brought him in in September."