- “I gave Jack [Grealish] his debut, at Villa. I think he would’ve been 16 at the time, and the kids had got to the final of the NextGen Series against Chelsea, and I went over to Italy to watch it. And the two players who stood out to me were Jack and Callum Robinson.“
- “I could see very early on that the two of them were very talented footballers. I know they’re good friends, and it’s nice to say that I gave them their debuts, especially when they’ve both gone on and had great careers.”
- “Jack always had a side to him in his locker which we all know about. He would sometimes try and push the wrong kind of buttons with me, but I’d seen it all before, so I knew the pitfalls. You’re swimming with sharks at times, as a football manager, and I didn’t want him to go off the rails, because I could see a huge talent there.”
- “I always knew the talent was there; what’s important for Jack is that he’s managed by someone who can keep him on the straight and narrow, and he’s in a great place right now in that sense, with Pep Guardiola at Man City.”
- [Jadon Sancho] “I’m pretty sure if he went back to Dortmund, we’d see a better player as a result. For a start, he’d be under less scrutiny than he is at Manchester United, and as a result, he’d probably go back to enjoying his football again, which would be great. Could he be the catalyst for Dortmund in the second half of the season? Yeah, he could be, if he does what he did the first time around.”
- “Hopefully, if he did return, he’d hit the ground running. Listen, it’s a move I’d love to see. And Dortmund will look to strengthen this month; I don’t know whether that’s the key one they’d be looking to bring in, but there’ll definitely be a couple of new arrivals, I’m sure of that.”
Jack Grealish and Callum Robinson were the names I knew were very talented from early on in their careers
“I gave Jack [Grealish] his debut, at Villa. I think he would’ve been 16 at the time, and the kids had got to the final of the NextGen Series against Chelsea, and I went over to Italy to watch it. And the two players who stood out to me were Jack and Callum Robinson.
“I thought the two lads looked pretty decent, and so I started to bring the pair of them into the first-team sessions every now and again, bringing them up, putting them back, bringing them up and putting them back, and eventually I gave the two of them their debuts. I could see very early on that the two of them were very talented footballers. I know they’re good friends, and it’s nice to say that I gave them their debuts, especially when they’ve both gone on and had great careers.
Jack would try and push the wrong buttons with me… it’s important he’s managed by someone who’ll keep him on the straight and narrow
“Jack always had a side to him in his locker which we all know about. He would sometimes try and push the wrong kind of buttons with me, but I’d seen it all before, so I knew the pitfalls. You’re swimming with sharks at times, as a football manager, and I didn’t want him to go off the rails, because I could see a huge talent there.
“One week I had to pull him into the office for a misdemeanour, which was fine in the end. I’m not going to say what that misdemeanour was, but the biggest takeaway from it was his response. He was only a baby really, in footballing terms, at the time. You’ve got to remember that as a manager; it’s about how you nurture talents like that.
“I did worry for him a little bit, at a young age. That’s not through any fault of his own, though; that’s just the way the environment is when you’re young… it can derail you, but I just didn’t want to see him – or any young kid – derail. Especially when you’ve got such a talent like Jack; when your career is finished, you want people to talk about your antics on the pitch, not off it.
“I’d seen it first hand, so many times; I played with plenty of young kids who I’d probably say were more talented than myself, but for some reason or another, just never made it. I didn’t want that to happen to Jack. I always knew the talent was there; what’s important for Jack is that he’s managed by someone who can keep him on the straight and narrow, and he’s in a great place right now in that sense, with Pep Guardiola at Man City.”
“I’d say it only really came, that realisation with Jack that e needed to knuckle down, after that FA Cup final, and then going down with Aston Villa. Obviously since then, he helped the club back up, kept them up, and has since moved on to Man City and just done great for himself.”
A Dortmund return would see Sancho enjoying his football again…
“Jadon Sancho did an incredible job for Dortmund during his first stint with the club; he looked unplayable at times out there. He then went to Manchester United and for one reason or another, things didn’t work out for him. You never know how those big moves are going to work out; whether it’s the club, or the character, or the lifestyle in England compared to Germany… sometimes things just don’t go according to plan.
“I’m pretty sure if he went back to Dortmund, we’d see a better player as a result. For a start, he’d be under less scrutiny than he is at Manchester United, and as a result, he’d probably go back to enjoying his football again, which would be great. Could he be the catalyst for Dortmund in the second half of the season? Yeah, he could be, if he does what he did the first time around. The fans would expect a certain level from him, and you’ve got to remember they bring 83,000 people along every single week, so you have to perform when you’re playing for a club like Dortmund.”
“Hopefully, if he did return, he’d hit the ground running. Listen, it’s a move I’d love to see. And Dortmund will look to strengthen this month; I don’t know whether that’s the key one they’d be looking to bring in, but there’ll definitely be a couple of new arrivals, I’m sure of that.”
