View: Aston Villa youngster Louie Barry can thrive at Salford City after loan switch
Aston Villa academy graduate Louie Barry has completed a loan switch to League Two side Salford City for the remainder of the 2022/23 season, the club has confirmed.
The 19-year-old, who was part of Barcelona’s academy before moving to Villa Park, has struggled to impact proceedings while on loan at MK Dons this campaign, netting just one goal in 32 appearances for the club.
His role under Mark Jackson has been further limited by the recent arrivals of Jonathan Leko, Max Dean and Sullay Kaikai at Stadium MK.
The Englishman is famously remembered for scoring on his Aston Villa first-team debut against Liverpool in the FA Cup when COVID restrictions struck Dean Smith’s side.
He will now join Salford City, who are owned by Manchester United’s Class of 92 – David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville, Phil Neville, Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt.
After completing his switch (Monday 30 January), Barry told the club website: “I feel like coming here will improve me as a player, and hopefully help the team get up the divisions.
“It happened last season as well [January loan] and I just got thrown straight into it but I dealt with it, and hopefully I can do the same here. They’re at a pinnacle part of the season, where every single point matters, so yeah it’s really tight up there at the moment.”
It is no surprise that Barry has taken a drop-down in divisions until the summer, as he had lost all confidence with MK Dons, with his goalscoring boots deserting him as well.
There is no lack of talent in the striker, as proven during his loan spell at Swindon Town in the second half of last season, where he notched up six goals and an assist in just 14 appearances. However, a switch was necessary to reignite his faltering career.
If the young forward has any ambitions of forcing his way into Unai Emery’s proceedings at Villa Park, he will need to find his feet at the League Two outfit and slowly build back his confidence.
It may seem like a long road back to the first team, given his troubling season to date, but Barry certainly has the ability to take Salford City by storm for the remainder of the season.
In other Aston Villa news, Carla Ward must find a contingency plan in case Rachel Daly gets injured for her side this season.