BBC pundit slams Aston Villa academy staff over Phil Foden nickname
We’re delighted to welcome former Aston Villa full-back Alan Hutton as our exclusive columnist. Each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at Villa Park…
Alan Hutton believes it’s unfair for Aston Villa academy staff to be comparing Tommi O’Reilly to Manchester City and England star Phil Foden.
O’Reilly, 19, is one of the more promising young players at Villa Park but despite being nicknamed “little Phil Foden” by academy staff [The Athletic], he’s yet to make a senior appearance for the Villans.
The young midfielder has been in good form for the Under-21s this season, however, scoring three goals and supplying two assists in 10 Premier League 2 appearances.
And while seeing youngsters compared to stars of the game can be exciting for fans, Hutton believes it can raise expectations too high and ultimately end up being counter-productive for academy products.
Speaking to Villa News about the O’Reilly and Foden comparison, Hutton said: “I don’t think it helps, to be honest.
“I don’t know a whole lot about the kid if I’m totally honest, but if I was a youth team coach, I wouldn’t be saying that.
“Obviously you want to feed them with confidence and help them improve and stuff. But I wouldn’t want to liken them to anybody else.
“This person’s going to be the next Harry Kane or this person’s going to be the next Lionel Messi. You’re putting pressure on them because it’s out there in the public and fans are reading this now and they’re asking, ‘we’ve got this kid but where is he? Why’s he not playing?’.
“Eventually, he does play and then you’re asking what all the hype was about.
“He’s only a kid and he’s going to need time to improve and develop. You need that so don’t over-hype somebody for the sake of it.”
Birmingham-born O’Reilly is know for his vision and passing ability, as well as his strong technical abilities when he has the ball at his feet.
He’s been at Villa’s academy for a long time and trained with Steven Gerrard’s first team last season, leading to him winning a professional contract in March 2022 and being named on the substitutes’ bench for a number of games.
In other Aston Villa news, a game-changing signing is on the cards at Villa Park this summer amid speculation of a big-name transfer.