Michael Owen has urged former club Manchester United to consider cashing in on Paul Pogba to fund a deal for Aston Villa playmaker Jack Grealish.

Pogba has been repeatedly linked with the Old Trafford exit over the past couple of years, with Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus all said to be interested.

The France international has struggled with injuries this season, restricting him to just eight appearances in all competitions, the most recent of those coming on Boxing Day.

Following the immediate impact made by January signing Bruno Fernandes, Owen believes that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer can now afford to offload Pogba and move for midfield target Grealish.

"That's going to be probably the most fascinating thing when they come back, whether he puts them both Pogba and Fernandes in the same team," he told Premier League Productions. "I think it's taken a huge bit of pressure off him that Fernandes has done fantastically well.

"Now he doesn't necessarily have to put Pogba in straightaway because there's going to be questions about whether they can play together. It might also accelerate the departure of Pogba now.

"Fernandes is a brilliant player because all of a sudden, when you're watching Manchester United you're missing someone with creativity, you're missing someone with vision but now since Fernandes has come in you're not missing any of that.

"Now Pogba might just be dispensable if they get a big bid. If I was Ole Gunnar Solskjaer I could get big money bearing in mind they've got Fernandes now and then you could go and invest in someone like Grealish. He might have the style that compliments Manchester United better than Pogba does at the moment."

Grealish has seven goals and six assists in 26 Premier League appearances for Villa this season.