View: Anna Patten form for England Under-23s shows why Aston Villa Women must sign the defender this summer
Aston Villa defender Anna Patten starred for England Under-23s on Monday night (20 February) as the young Lionesses came out with a resounding 3-1 victory over Belgium.
Patten, who Villa signed from Arsenal on a season-long loan in the summer, captained the Under-23s in front of the 1300-strong crowd at Prenton Park and highlighted why Aston Villa have placed so much faith in her this season with a strong performance and goal from close range in the second half.
With the score at 2-1 shortly after the break, a well-worked short corner routine saw Poppy Pattinson try her luck with a shot through a maze of bodies. As the ball was palmed away by the opposition keeper, it fell to Patten’s feet, who stabbed the ball home.
Her ascension through the Arsenal ranks, followed by her impressive progress for her country has highlighted Patten as one to watch in the future. It begs the question of whether Villa will be able to lure her from Arsenal’s clutches when her loan spell comes to a close in the summer.
So far this season, the 23-year-old has been a mainstay in Carla Ward’s side, with both Danielle Turner and Rachel Corsie scrapping for the other centre-half spot due to her impressive performances this season.
The Arsenal loanee has been one of the key reasons that Villa’s defence has taken huge strides forward this season, with her ability to build play from defence also a major bonus to Ward’s side.
Considering Corsie, who has 139 caps for Scotland over her career, has been kept out of the team at times this term highlights just what a talent Patten is at centre-half.
Ward and Villa must do everything in their power to sign the highly-touted defender when her loan spell comes to a close at the end of the season and make her a permanent fixture in the West Midlands.
In other Aston Villa news, the club want to reunite with a former player for a fee in excess of £40million in the summer.