Former Aston Villa star Rudy Gestede has claimed Jack Grealish deserves to be playing in the Champions League.
The Aston Villa captain has been heavily linked with a move to Manchester United after enjoying an impressive return to the Premier League with his boyhood club.
Grealish secured an important point for the Villans on the last day of the season against West Ham United, which saw them escaped relegation threats. His performances in the Premier League has also convinced many of the 24-year-old’s readiness to move a bit higher to the next level in his playing career.
Ryan Giggs has urged his former side to pursue the Villa skipper, while Michael Owen also claimed recently that the player “has his eyes set on a move to United”.
Tottenham have also been credited with an interest in the Englishman ahead of the 2020/21 campaign. And Gestede, who played together with Grealish at the Villa Park between 2015 and 2017, says playing in Europe’s biggest competition will be an addition for his former colleague.
“He was talented when I was there. He was a young player with a lot of potential, and in the last few seasons, he’s shown he’s got the shoulders to carry it,” the former Villa striker told Talksport.
“Now he’s the captain of the team, so he’s got a bit more responsibility and he’s dealt with it very well. He deserves to be in the spotlight. He deserves a call from England probably very soon.
“I think there’s two choices: the first choice, to build Aston Villa with Jack Grealish as the main guy and to make sure they spend money on good players to get Villa back to where they should be.
“Or, Jack Grealish could choose to leave to a bigger team because he doesn’t want to wait too long to build something, and he wants to play in the Champions League straight away. I think he’s got the quality for this.
“It’s not an easy to decision. The club have got a contract with him and they’ve got to decide if they sell or not. I’ve just read that they’ve put a very high price for him and it could be difficult to move for him. He’s got the ability and the talent to play in the Champions League, so that’s where he belongs.”
