View: Indiana Vassilev sends Aston Villa reminder with 7-minute cameo for Inter Miami
Steven Gerrard might be deep in trying to make signings to improve his Aston Villa side but he’s just been sent a very timely reminder.
Indiana Vassilev is one of the more forgotten Villans currently out on loan as he tries to make a breakthrough for David Beckham’s MLS franchise Inter Miami and he may have just managed it.
The Florida-based side were 1-0 down at the DRV PNK Stadium against Minnesota United when manager Phil Neville called Vassilev off the bench to change the game.
And boy did the 21-year-old do just that.
He brought Miami level at 1-1 on 87 minutes before he then went on to also score the winner in a dramatic late turnaround in the 90th minute which saw the franchise move up to eighth in the Western Conference, one place outside the playoff spots.
“I’m really, really proud of Indiana,” Neville said, as quoted by the MLS website. “Since he’s come in, he’s totally livened up the place again. He’s a really good kid.”
Perhaps the top division in the United States isn’t the most challenging league in the world but the quality of the opponents isn’t necessarily what will impress Gerrard about this performance.
One thing you could perhaps accuse Aston Villa of lacking recently is the kind of player who can turn up when it matters most and score those vital goals in the dying moments of a game to turn a loss into a draw or a draw into a win.
In Vassilev’s terms, though, it could be turning a loss into a win after his MLS exploits.
The United States Under-20 international will remain on loan at Inter Miami until 31 December but he could be the catalyst for a second wind to kick in when he returns to the Midlands after his loan expires.
In other Aston Villa news, we have to do whatever we can to sign Porto midfielder Otavio.