Man Utd target Grealish aims to emulate Rooney

James Shearman

• Updated: 23 Jun 2021 16:05 BST

Manchester United target Jack Grealish wants to follow in the footsteps of England greats Wayne Rooney and Paul Gascoigne at Euro 2020.

The Aston Villa midfielder assisted Raheem Sterling's winner against the Czech Republic on Tuesday as England qualified for the round-of-16 as group winners.

Prior to his inclusion against the Czechs, fans and pundits had been clamouring for Grealish to be involved after he was left out in the games versus Croatia and Scotland.

He is hoping to use any Euro 2020 success as a springboard for an exceptional tournament and maybe a career beyond like that of Rooney and Gascoigne in years gone by.

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"I've spoken about how big these tournaments are in people's careers,'' Grealish said.

''You think back and look at Gazza at Italia '90, where he was well known before, but everyone remembers that tournament.''

"You look at Wayne Rooney at Euro 2004 when he set his marker to be one of the best in the world.

"I've got a bit to follow in their footsteps, but hopefully I can do that if I get more chances in the tournament."

Grealish - a wanted man

Having spent his whole career at Villa thus far, Grealish is enjoying his first opportunity - with England - to showcase his talents on a continental stage.

The 25-year-old had carried the his club side into contention for European qualification last season before an injury kept him out for of over 10 matches.

Now, the worry among Villa fans now is that Grealish will want to continue his pursuit of greatness by moving to a team in the Champions League.

The Birmingham-born maestro, a target for both Man Utd and Manchester City, certainly isn't short of confidence in his ability to do so, and it seems only a matter of time before a move to one of football's biggest clubs.

"You all know how much confidence I have in myself to be able to perform - and I felt I did that with my assist (against the Czechs)," he continued.

"I felt I could have still created a few more chances, but we got the win and that was the main thing.

"It's obviously different to what I've been used to. I've never played in Europe before, I've never played in the Europa League or Champions League so it's obviously different to what I'm used to.

"But it's a new challenge, it's something that I'm really enjoying, I love it. It is a matter of showcasing my talent to the world and it is what I want."

It's clear that the Villa captain target wants to spur England on and have a tournament to remember.

Should any suitors enter a bidding war, it is believes that Grealish could cost upwards of £80 million.