Manchester United might already have the next Jack Grealish

There is no doubt that Jack Grealish is one of the best players in the Premier League right now. This season, he has 7 goals and 12 assists to his name in just 22 appearances. And he is reaching a point where Aston Villa will have a tough time holding on to him. In fact, Manchester United might be weighing up a move for him in the near future.

The Red Devils were linked with him in the past summer transfer window. But they were unwilling to match Aston Villa’s £70 million asking price and decided to not sign him. In hindsight, that looks like a mistake.

Grealish has unlocked a new level to his game this season and is now believed to have a gigantic transfer value of £100 million. And it will be interesting to see whether United still decide to go after him.

They might have a very similar player in their own academy in the form of Hannibal Mejbri. And it might be a good idea to have a look at the 18-year-old before making any move for Grealish.

Mejbri has been very impressive for Manchester United’s youth sides

Playing from central midfield, Mejbri has managed to rack up very impressive stats this season. Playing in Premier League 2 and the EFL Trophy, he has 4 goals and 7 assists to his name. And that kind of productivity shows that his future might lie further up the pitch.

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He has also made quite an reputation for being someone who the opponents are forced to foul in order to stop, similar to Grealish himself. As reported by Express, Manchester United’s under-23 manager Neil Cox has even asked for the referees to provide the French youngster with extra protection:

"“I think Hannibal has lots of quality and the frustrating point for him is that there must be about 15 fouls on him per game.“And at some point if it’s not stopped, or if the referee is not protecting him, he’s going to get his leg broken. That’s what I fear for him.”"

The important thing to remember here is that Mejbri is just 18 years of age and it will probably be a few more years before he gets regular minutes for the senior side, that is if he ever does. Thus, he must continue his development and try to remain injury free for the time being. And hopefully his chances will come in the future.