Manchester United can't afford to repeat Jack Grealish mistake with summer transfer priority

Jack Grealish might not yet have conjured up his swashbuckling best at Manchester City - but each sighting of him in blue should act as a warning sign to neighbours Manchester United.

Let's rewind to early 2020.

Covid-19 had yet to leave its devastating mark and United - with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at the wheel - were steering in a forward direction having splashed out £56.7million on Bruno Fernandes.

Even the most optimistic observer wouldn't have been able to predict the staggering impact he made.

Indeed, after years of overspending on players who simply did not live up to their price tag, the Portugal sensation remains a 'bargain' in the modern sense. How the market has changed.

Despite landing Fernandes from Sporting Lisbon, key figures in the boardroom maintained interest in Grealish until, leading up to the 2020/2021 season, they decided that £80million was too much and the popular playmaker signed a new five-year contract with Aston Villa.

Twelve months later, those terms were breached and City broke the nine-figure barrier for him.

You can argue about how much players ought to be worth, but the only valuation that matters is the one current clubs stump up. As such, big hitters such as City and United will be held to ransom - or ultimately have to play the waiting game in order to get their target(s).

Depending on what side of the fence you sit on, missing out on Grealish was a mistake or blessing for United.

Before his Euro 2020 heroics with England, the floppy-haired maverick enjoyed his best campaign for Villa - scoring six Premier League goals and providing 12 assists in 26 outings. He has yet to replicate those numbers with City, but a season of bedding in could be the foundation for him to shine