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Jack Grealish Recalls His Dad Giving Man United A Fake Name After They Scouted Him As A Kid

Jack Grealish Recalls His Dad Giving Man United A Fake Name After They Scouted Him As A Kid

"When they came up to my dad, he’d have to give a fake name!"

​Jack Grealish recalled his dad giving Manchester United a fake name after they tried to scout him as a kid.

Grealish signed for Aston Villa aged seven before officially joining the club's under-10s team three years later.

Image: Alamy
Image: Alamy

Despite representing Villa at youth level, he still played for Sunday League team Highgate United.

He impressed during a tournament, scoring all four goals in a 4-0 win - with his performances attracting the scouts of Man United, West Brom and Birmingham City.

And when the scouts would ask his dad about him, he'd have to give them a fake name due to his Villa contract. ​

Speaking to THE FACE magazine, the 27-year-old revealed:​​ "You’re not actually meant to go back and play with your old team, but they were doing a little tour down in Devon and we played against some team in the group stages. We won 4-0 and I scored all four.

"That was when people were like: ​'OK, this kid’s good.'"

He added: "Then I got scouted by other teams like Man United, West Brom and Birmingham City. But [at] those times I was contracted to Villa, so I shouldn’t have been playing.​

"When they came up to my dad, he’d have to give a fake name!"​

Grealish once again alerted Man United, but this time in the professional ranks.

​However, once again, he turned down their advances - penning a new deal at Villa Park in 2020.

The England forward, though, eventually secured a move away from Villa as he switched Premier League allegiances by signing for Manchester City.

Image: Alamy
Image: Alamy

He was snapped up for £100 million, with the player becoming a two-time Premier League champion and regular starter under Pep Guardiola.

Featured Image Credit: Alamy

Topics: Jack Grealish, Manchester City, Manchester United, Football