Young Lions Watch: Aston Villa carried to friendly win by rising stars
Aston Villa edged past Brisbane Roar in their latest pre-season friendly win, with their young stars carrying them to the victory.
Cameron Archer scored the only goal of the game, latching onto Kaine Kesler Hayden’s cross to fire past Macklin Freke.
Tim Iroegbunam played the second half and locked the midfield down, while Ben Chrisene was also given the final ten minutes as he replaced Ludwig Augustinsson.
Goalkeeping duo Filip Marschall and Oliwier Zych and defender Josh Feeney did not feature while Jaden Philogene-Bidace was out injured.
Their next chance to shine comes against a considerably stronger opponent when Villa take on Manchester United on Saturday morning (23 July).
What are their next steps?
Villa were largely disappointing against Brisbane, with many of the senior players looking slow, lethargic and ponderous around the box.
While that may have been a direct instruction from Steven Gerrard after Villa’s feisty contest with Leeds, they still relied on youth to inject some life back into them.
This has naturally alerted other clubs to their situation, with Archer and Iroegbunam, in particular, having a long list of admirers in the Championship but has also given Gerrard things to consider.
With Villa consistently failing to get Danny Ings and Ollie Watkins to work as a pair last season, now might be the time to give Archer an extended run in the team.
Kesler Hayden has proven to be a very capable right-back and seems to fit the mould of what Gerrard wants out of his full-backs, which makes space for him in the squad.
However, there seems to be little room in the squad for Chrisene and Iroegbunam.
Villa are already overloaded with midfielders and more may be on the way to block Iroegbunam’s path, while they also have three left-backs ahead of Chrisene.
Loans would seem to be the best option for the pair as they wait for an opening to appear in the Villa team.
With so many players featuring and impressing in pre-season, the future seems incredibly bright for Aston Villa’s Young Lions.
In other Aston Villa news, Steven Gerrard has confirmed that there have been no offers for Douglas Luiz.