Aston Villa gem Travis Patterson can be the heir to James Milner at Villa Park
Aston Villa academy star Travis Patterson took a huge step forward in his already burgeoning career after being named in Unai Emery’s match-day squad against Newcastle on Saturday (15 April).
The 17-year-old was named among Aston Villa’s nine substitutes in the 3-0 win over the Magpies, alongside fellow academy gems Viljami Sinisalo and Seb Revan.
Given Patterson’s flexibility across a number of positions in attack and defence, the teenager has several striking similarities to former Villa star James Milner.
The Englishman, who last year was named on The Guardian’s list of brightest academy talents to watch out for, is a versatile midfield player who can play as a winger, in central midfield or even as a full-back, as he has been deployed for the Young Lions at times.
After a 10-month injury layoff due to a stress fracture, Patterson returned to action with the academy in March, netting in the Under-18s’ 2-0 win over Brighton.
Considering he only featured in this clash for just 45 minutes and has not played since the vote of confidence in Patterson by Emery is a huge moment in his career.
The England Under-17 international’s flexibility across numerous positions adds plenty of strings to his already brimming bow, especially when looking at Villa’s somewhat bare-bones squad at the moment.
In this respect, Patterson and former Villa player Milner are extremely similar.
The now Liverpool player built his career from an early age as a player who could be deployed on the right wing, central midfield, or as has become custom later on in his career, as a full-back.
It is most likely that Patterson was picked in the squad as an attacker and direct replacement for Leon Bailey, and if the Jamaican’s hamstring injury is deemed worse than first feared, the academy starlet could be in line for more exposure with the first team.
At just 17, and considering he was selected ahead of the likes of Arjan Raikhy, Tommi O’Reilly and Kadan Young, the future looks bright for Patterson.
In other Aston Villa news, we can exclusively reveal that Manchester United are set to sign this highly-rated Villa player.