Grealish admits he was ‘really close’ to joining Manchester United

’s move to Etihad made him the most expensive Premier League signing of all time, but things could have been different for the former

midfielder.

The 26-year-old admitted that former

manager

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

was keen on bringing him to Old Trafford. However, a move never happened and he extended his deal with Aston Villa with a £100m release clause.

The England international told

: “I was really close to going, but nothing happened in the end.

“We played United in a pre-season game on Saturday and I wasn’t supposed to play in a cup game at Burton. But after the United game I said to [Christian] Purslow and my agent ‘if I’m not leaving, I’ll sign my new contract’.

“I went in with my dog on Tuesday morning, signed the deal, and played later that day. We all agreed on the clause and if any team hit that, it’s a win-win because it means I’ve had an unbelievable season and Villa got £100 million.”

That clause was triggered by Premier League champions City in the summer of 2021.

Explaining why he left his boyhood club to join 

Pep Guardiola

’s team,

Grealish

said:

“You only get one shot at your career and it just flies by.

“I feel Villa are going towards that [Europe] but I just didn’t know how long it was going to take for us. If I hadn’t come here, I would have regretted it forever. I remember hearing Michael Owen say the same about Real Madrid.

“You look at most of my England teammates - I was probably one of the last to play [in the] Champions League. You could probably count two or three who haven’t, such as Kalvin Phillips or Sam Johnstone.

“I’ve played four times in it now and loved every moment. It’s completely different to the Premier League, a completely different standard and way of playing.

“It’s the one we all want to win. The manager has come here and won everything else, we’re all desperate to win it and I’ve come here to try and help them.”

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