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Jack Grealish was given fake name by his dad after Man Utd scouted him as a youngster

Jack Grealish was given fake name by his dad after Man Utd scouted him as a youngster

Jack Grealish was already signed to Aston Villa but was playing with his local side when Man Utd scouts turned up.

Josh Lawless

Josh Lawless

Jack Grealish was once given a fake name by his own dad after Manchester United scouted him.

Grealish joined boyhood club Aston Villa at the age of six and came through the ranks before going onto the captaining the Midlands outfit.

He made 213 appearances before joining Manchester City in a £100 million transfer back in 2021.

The England international officially signed for Villa at Under 10's team but continued to play for his local Sunday League team on the side.

While turning out for Highgate United in a tournament in Devon, Grealish scored all four goals in a 4-0 win for his side.

Scouts from three clubs witnessed the impressive display, including one from 13-time Premier League champions United.

The problem was that Grealish was not allowed to be playing with his grassroots team as he was technically contracted to Villa.

And so when scouts enquired about the winger to his dad Kevin, he felt he had no choice but to give a different name.

Image: Getty
Image: Getty

Speaking to THE FACE magazine, he said: "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!"​

Fast forward to the present day and Grealish was a surprise omission from Gareth Southgate's 26-man England squad for Euro 2024.

He was one of seven players cut for the showpiece in Germany after struggling for game-time with City.

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Featured Image Credit: Getty & The Mirror / Jack Grealish

Topics: Jack Grealish, Manchester City, Aston Villa, England

Josh Lawless
Josh Lawless

Josh is a sports journalist who specialises in football and wrestling. He has been published by Curzon Ashton FC, Late Tackle, Manchester City FC, The Mirror, Read Man City and Manchester Evening News. He provides coverage of professional wrestling and has interviewed some of the biggest names in the field - including the first UK interview with The Hardy Boyz after their return to WWE. He has never sported a pair of Lonsdale Slip-ons, contrary to reports.

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