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'I don't think Grealish's good enough to get in the team at the moment' | Andy Mitten

Jack Grealish would not get into the current Manchester United team, according to Andy Mitten. Th...



Soccer

'I don't think Grealish's good enough to get in the team at the moment' | Andy Mitten

Jack Grealish would not get into the current Manchester United team, according to Andy Mitten.

The United We Stand editor joined OTB AM on Friday morning to discuss United's 3-0 win over Aston Villa on Thursday evening.

There have been rumours all season about whether or not Ole Gunnar Solskjaer would look to sign Grealish this summer and bolster his midfield.

"I don't think he's good enough to get in the team at the moment. I don't think he had a good game [last night]," Mitten said.

Earlier this season Grealish's performance at Old Trafford drew praise from many United fans who felt that his creative spark would be a good fit for a team struggling when in possession.

Manchester United

"He had a really good game at Old Trafford in December, in a 2-2 draw. A lot of United fans were citing him as the type of player the team is missing."

That may have been true at the time however the January signing of Bruno Fernandes coupled with Paul Pogba's return to full fitness has eased those early-season concerns.

United are now unbeaten in their past 17 games and this excellent run of form has fueled a renewed optimism amongst the support.

Fernandes has been a revelation since joining, Pogba is once more playing with swagger and Anthony Martial looks hungrier than ever. The emergence of Mason Greenwood, however, is the most positive story to come out of Old Trafford this year.

The 18-year-old had impressed prior to the enforced break in the season. Post-lockdown the youngster has exploded into the limelight and followed up his brace against Bournemouth last weekend with another fine strike against Villa.

Some have drawn a comparison between Greenwood and Wayne Rooney but it is much more pleasing to see a player of this calibre come through the United academy according to Mitten.

"Rooney was incredible, but he was incredible at Everton. It's not quite as exciting as somebody who comes through your own youth system," he said.

There are reasons to be cautious for United supporters as there have been occasions in recent seasons where there has been an uptick in form only for the team to lose momentum dramatically.

"I think there is a right to be cautious. Manchester United are fifth in the table. There was some pretty bleak moments this season."

If Solskjaer can continue to add quality players to the squad while moving on a number of those who have failed to seize their chance under the current manager then United will continue to close the gap on the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool.

Whether that manifests itself in a challenge for the Premier League next year is anyone's guess. United are still a couple of players shy of really challenging according to Mitten, something that Solskjaer agrees with.

"I spoke to the manager just before the lockdown about this and he said we still need two or three players and there are probably two or three players that the team need to get rid of."

Due to their commercial success, United are in a relatively sound financial position even with the impact of the coronavirus. With that being said they will look to offload players before jumping into the market.

"United will make signings but they're not going to splurge," Mitten said.

Chris Smalling, Jesse Lingard, Alexis Sanchez, and Phil Jones are all players that could be moved on this summer, in order to finance a potential move for the likes of Borussia Dortmund's Jadon Sancho, according to Mitten.

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Read more about

Andy Mitten Aston Villa Jack Grealish Jadon Sancho Manchester United Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Paul Pogba Premier League