While Manchester United are being linked with a wide range of players ahead of the summer transfer window, it has been suggested that Aston Villa midfielder Jack Grealish is the club's priority target.
Despite the January arrival of Bruno Fernandes, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is still eager to add more creativity and versatility to his squad, attributes both possessed by Grealish.
In 25 starts in the Premier League this season, Grealish has contributed seven goals and six assists, while he has added two more in each category in helping Villa reach the EFL Cup final.
Although the 24-year-old is regarded as Villa's key man, Grealish has been used in a variety of positions by Dean Smith, partly due to needing to plug gaps in the team due to injuries.
Solskjaer is also unlikely to keep the Englishman in one specific role, but the playmaker will relish playing in a team who spend more time on the front foot.
Here, Sports Mole predicts how United could line up if Solskjaer has Grealish at his disposal next season.
Despite spending much of the campaign on the left flank, Grealish is said to favour a more central role - something which Solskjaer may be prepared to hand him at Old Trafford.
Providing that Scott McTominay is used in front of the back four, Solskjaer could partner Grealish with Fernandes, who could take on responsibility as the link between defence and attack.
The alternative would be deploy Grealish as a number 10 behind the main striker, leaving McTominay and Fernandes to work in tandem in the centre of the pitch.
There may be times when it makes sense for Solskjaer to use Fred or Nemanja Matic alongside McTominay, a decision which would most likely see Fernandes more further forward.
If that was the case, Grealish would be able to switch to the left flank, resulting in Marcus Rashford or Anthony Martial playing on the opposite side.
Should Solskjaer revert to a 3-5-2 formation, with Brandon Williams featuring at left wing-back, Grealish could be used in a central three or play off Rashford or Martial down the middle.
Darren Plant
