Manchester City are getting closer to Aston Villa star Jack Grealish in what could become a record transfer for a British player. But where will he be used by Pep Guardiola?
The playmaker can slot in the middle or on the wings and Villa have tended to use him more on the flanks. It is where he can cause a lot of damage by cutting onto his right foot and sending crosses in or taking a shot on.
Doing this at City will be difficult primarily because of the presence of Phil Foden and Raheem Sterling. Both of them are expected to be the first-choice wingers for Pep Guardiola so it would be hard to see Grealish play there.
The other more possible option for City is to use the Villa star in a manner similar to that of Kevin De Bruyne. The Manchester side generally line-up in a 4-3-3 or a 4-2-3-1 and Grealish can be used as an attacking midfielder in either of these formations.
The only problem is that the Englishman has not really played in this kind of a role much.
The youngster will take some time to adapt to the methods of Guardiola but given the manager’s history of converting players into different positions, we might see this happen.
Imagine a tandem of Grealish and De Bruyne running the midfield, the Villa playmaker could take up the role that David Silva used to play.
It would require him to become more conscious defensively but that is something that can be brought about with coaching. At Villa Park, the 25-year-old was the main star, the focal point and captain, but this will change at the Etihad Stadium.
It is now up to the midfielder to show that he has what it takes to become one of the stars at Man City.
When Manchester City complete the transfer of Grealish, they will be getting one of the best midfielders in the league. City are adding the Villa captain to a squad already stacked with some incredible players.
The playmaker might have to change his style of playing but getting to see the Englishman’s journey under Guardiola will be fascinating.