Former Manchester United man Keith Gillespie believes that Jack Grealish will eventually leave Aston Villa amid links with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side, telling Football FanCast that he will have ambitions of playing in the Champions League.
The attacking midfielder has developed into one of the best attacking midfielders in the country this season.
Dean Smith’s side have enjoyed an excellent season and are currently in the top half of the Premier League table, having avoided relegation by the skin of their teeth last season.
Predictions over Jack Grealish’s future
He’ll stay!
He’ll go!
They have already surpassed the 40-point mark that is often said to guarantee survival and much of that has been down to the form of Grealish, who has scored six goals and laid on 12 assists this season.
It has been a phenomenal return from the 25-year-old, who is valued at £54m by Transfermarkt, and one has to imagine it would be higher if he had not picked up an injury that has ruled him out of Villa’s last seven games. It is telling that they have won just two of those.
And Gillespie believes that he will eventually want to move to a Champions League club as he looks to enhance his international reputation, amid debate over his possible selection for England at the European Championships.
He told FFC: “Somebody like Jack Grealish will want to be playing Champions League football. There’s no doubt about that, that’ll help him with England as well. It’s the old thing that happens, when you go to that bigger club, more recognition comes in terms of playing for your country, so I would imagine there will be a period where he does move on, whether it’s next season or the season after.”
Gillespie also believes that Grealish will move to either Manchester City or Manchester United when he does decide his time at Villa is over.
He added: “I’d imagine it being one of those two (Man City or Man United) because somebody of Grealish’s quality wants to be playing on the highest stage in club football and that’s obviously the Champions League.”