Jack Grealish recalled his dad giving Manchester United a fake name after they tried to scout him as a kid.
Grealish signed for Aston Villa aged seven before officially joining the club's under-10s team three years later.
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Despite representing Villa at youth level, he still played for Sunday League team Highgate United.
He impressed during a tournament, scoring all four goals in a 4-0 win - with his performances attracting the scouts of Man United, West Brom and Birmingham City.
And when the scouts would ask his dad about him, he'd have to give them a fake name due to his Villa contract.
Speaking to THE FACE magazine, the 27-year-old revealed: "You’re not actually meant to go back and play with your old team, but they were doing a little tour down in Devon and we played against some team in the group stages. We won 4-0 and I scored all four.
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"That was when people were like: 'OK, this kid’s good.'"
He added: "Then I got scouted by other teams like Man United, West Brom and Birmingham City. But [at] those times I was contracted to Villa, so I shouldn’t have been playing.
"When they came up to my dad, he’d have to give a fake name!"
Grealish once again alerted Man United, but this time in the professional ranks.
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However, once again, he turned down their advances - penning a new deal at Villa Park in 2020.
The England forward, though, eventually secured a move away from Villa as he switched Premier League allegiances by signing for Manchester City.
He was snapped up for £100 million, with the player becoming a two-time Premier League champion and regular starter under Pep Guardiola.
Topics: Jack Grealish, Manchester City, Manchester United, Football
Nasir Jabbar