It was a move that had been rumoured for much of the summer, but when Jack Grealish put pen to paper on a new deal with Aston Villa, it ended any hopes Manchester United might’ve had of signing the England international midfielder.
Given that international recognition generally comes easier to those players who ply their trade with the best teams in the league, with respect to the Villains, some might say that it’s a brave move from Grealish to stay with the Midlanders.
However, they are the club of his life and Gareth Barry for one is delighted that Grealish has snubbed the Red Devils in favour of staying at Villa Park.
“I think it’s fantastic for Aston Villa firstly – to see Jack Grealish leave would have been devastating for the club,” he said to the Daily Star in conjunction with the BT Sport Monthly Pass.
“For him he is still young and I feel like he still has a lot to do at Aston Villa because he’s not played that many games in the Premier League for them.
“If there is a time further down the line that he feels that he has outgrown them or that he has done all he can, but I felt this would have been possibly too early.”
If the midfielder is able to push on and keep improving with Villa, then there’s no reason why he can’t make the jump up the ladder later in his career.
With the benefit of a few more years in the top flight, he may then be better placed to succeed at United or elsewhere.