Who did Manchester United (ManU) legends Ryan Giggs and Rio Ferdinand evaluate as 100% ManU style?

According to the British 'Mirror' on the 25th (Korea time), Giggs and Ferdinand claimed that winger Jack Grealish (30), who plays for Manchester City (ManCity), should have transferred to ManU when leaving Aston Villa.

Grealish joined Manchester City under manager Pep Guardiola for a transfer fee of £100 million (approximately 191 billion won) in 2021. This amount was not only a record for the City club but also the highest transfer fee in Premier League history since its inception.

However, Grealish has not consistently shown the level of performance warranted by this transfer fee. He has contributed to Manchester City's treble in the 2022-2023 season and lifted several trophies, but he has been criticized for a lack of consistency.

Grealish has recorded 17 goals and 23 assists in 155 matches since transferring to Manchester City, which is somewhat disappointing. Moreover, he recently scored his first league goal of the season in a match against Leicester City. He is increasingly finding himself on the bench rather than starting.

As a result, Manchester City plans to put Grealish on the transfer market this summer. Given his high price tag, if a permanent transfer is difficult, they are considering loaning him out.

Giggs appeared on a podcast hosted by his former teammate Ferdinand and mentioned Grealish, stating, "I felt Ángel Di María (37, Benfica) was also a ManU style player." Di María played for ManU during Louis van Gaal's managerial period.

Giggs further explained, "But at the time, we used a diamond midfield, and he played on the left side of the diamond. Alternatively, when using two strikers with a three-back, he should have played in the number 10 position."

He also recalled, "Ultimately, he was hardly used in the position we originally brought him in for, which was the position he played on the right or occasionally on the left during his time in Madrid," adding, "But he felt like a ManU player." Ferdinand responded, "I really liked him."

Giggs continued, "Grealish is the same. He was a ManU style player," with Ferdinand agreeing, saying, "Right. I 100% agree. He just wants certain things, doesn't he?"

Meanwhile, Grealish, who has two years left on his contract with ManCity, stated in an interview last February, "Other than the fact that my daughter was born last year, it was one of the toughest years of my life for various reasons," adding, "Perhaps it was the hardest year, both on and off the pitch."

He continued, "It was really tough. But now it's a new year, and I want to start fresh from here," adding, "Honestly, I want to play more often and regain the rhythm like in the past, when I used to keep getting matches like a few years ago."

Grealish also emphasized, "Coming in and out of matches is really tough," stating, "I want to train consistently and hope to get more playing opportunities."

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