Roy Keane has described Aston Villa and England midfielder Jack Grealish as being “like Cristiano Ronaldo” amid links with a move to Manchester United.

Grealish has been on United’s radar for a long time after impressing with Villa since their return to the Premier League. They wanted to sign him last summer, only to see Villa tie him down to a contract until 2025. But the Red Devils are not giving up their pursuit.

At present, it does not seem United are the favorites to sign Grealish. Instead, there have been plenty of rumors recently about rivals Manchester City making a move for him.

But one man who would surely rather see him end up on the red half of Manchester is Keane.

Speaking during ITV‘s coverage of England’s 1-0 friendly win over Austria, which Grealish started, Keane compared Grealish’s influence to that of five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo.

“He’s a pure quality player,” Keane said. “Every time I watch him play, he affects the game.

“I’d find it very hard to leave him out of the starting XI. He could be the star man for England, he makes things happen.

“He has the courage and always wants the ball in tight areas. Like Cristiano Ronaldo at Portugal, you need players like that in your team. He’s outstanding.”