Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand says Jack Grealish 'has edge' over James Maddison amid transfer talk

Ferdinand: 'He’s got that bit of arrogance as well. Knows he’s a good player that’s producing.'
Action Images via Reuters

Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand says he would prioritise the signing of Aston Villa star Jack Grealish over Leicester midfielder James Maddison this summer.

United have been linked with moves for both men as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer looks continue his Old Trafford rebuild.

Maddison has been one of the stars of a Leicester side that are on course to qualify for next season’s Champions League, presuming the Premier League campaign is completed following the coronavirus pandemic.

However, it is Grealish, who has excelled despite Villa’s struggles, who Ferdinand believes has the edge.

In Pictures | The Premier League games still be played

1/11

"They’re both flying,” Ferdinand said in a Q&A on his Instagram. “They’re very different players. Maddison is someone who can get the ball, he can pop it about.

"He gets goals, gets assists, sets up chances, he’s sharp, he gets in good positions to create things. Very good footballer. I like him.

"Grealish does all of that but he has one thing over all these players we talk about in this position for England like Dele Alli, Maddison, Mason Mount in that position, that attacking [style] that can play off the striker, that can play as an attacking midfielder.

"Grealish can take people on. Grealish gets the ball, he can manipulate the ball, draw players to him, draw one/two players to him leaving space for someone else.

"That’s what I like about Grealish. He’s got that bit of arrogance as well. Knows he’s a good player that’s producing. He just edges it for me."

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in