Aston Villa sensation Cameron Archer plays way into Unai Emery plans amid international heroics
Both Aston Villa and England were dealt a blow when star midfielder Jacob Ramsey picked up an injury during the ongoing European Under-21 Championship.
The Villa ace has left the tournament early after picking up the knock in the 1-0 quarter-final win against Portugal on Sunday (2 July).
But Unai Emery’s men are still well-represented at the tournament through the presence of Three Lions star Cameron Archer.
The 21-year-old, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Middlesbrough, is now among his nation’s leading scorers at the tournament.
Archer currently sits joint-top of the list alongside Anthony Gordon and Emile Smith-Rowe on two goals following his strike in the 3-0 win against Israel on Wednesday (5 July).
As per Aston Villa Statto, the striker now boasts six goals for England Under-21s, and is averaging a superb goals-per-minute ratio for his country.
“Cameron Archer scored his 6th goal for England U21s last night,” Aston Villa Statto wrote on Twitter. “He is currently averaging a goal every 60 minutes for England U21s. Got to play some part for Aston Villa this upcoming season.”
His fantastic tournament has perhaps come as no surprise to manager Lee Carsley, with Archer going into the competition on the back of banging in 11 goals from his 20 Championship matches last season.
The young forward also chipped in with six assists as Boro just fell short in their bid for promotion to the Premier League.
With Ollie Watkins currently leading the Aston Villa line, 21-year-old Archer has had to be patient for first-team opportunities, but he has already proven he has what it takes to shine at the club.
The young striker has four goals from his 13 senior appearances, as well as 17 goals from 36 Aston Villa Under-21 games.
Only Middlesbrough star Chuba Akpom (7.14) boasted a higher SofaScore rating than temporary man Archer (7.11) last season, as per SofaScore.
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