Aston Villa: Josh Feeney and Tommi O’Reilly struggle at club owned by Unai Emery
Josh Feeney and Tommi O’Reilly have had a difficult spell with Real Union following their Aston Villa loan departure in January.
The loan agreement was a move that appeared to make sense for all parties as the Villa owners became part of the board in the Primera Federacion with Unai Emery.
A “collaborative partnership” was announced via the Aston Villa website in November and the club loaned some young stars as part of this.
Former Villa under 21s coach, Inigo Idiakez took over as manager but it was announced by Real Union that he had now departed (4 April).
Josh Feeney and Tommi O’Reilly Real Union loan from Aston Villa
The duo are two of Villa’s brightest academy prospects and a loan away felt like the ideal scenario for the youngsters.
Due to the club partnership rather than a move to the EFL, Feeney and O’Reilly made the move to the Spanish third division. Although it felt as if they would take the league by storm, the opposite is true.
According to Transfermarkt, the attacking midfielder has only made a single appearance in which he played in just 30 minutes.
Unfortunately, O’Reilly suffered an injury but has been included in a recent matchday squad, confirming a return to fitness.
Feeney has also featured in just one game but started and was able to feature across 70 minutes in that time. He has been on the bench without coming on in an additional seven matches [SofaScore].
With all this being said, these loan moves have been largely disappointing. The only real positive comes with the differing cultures for the young stars to learn from.
With barely 100 minutes between them in nearly four months, it begs the question of why a move to the EFL or Scotland wasn’t preferred.
Current first-team star Jacob Ramsey developed with Doncaster Rovers before coming a stalwart in the side under Emery. Feeney and O’Reilly may see their potential reached through a similar story.
In other Aston Villa news, an ex-Villa employee has slammed “ridiculous” Premier League talks after a £100million reveal.
For more Aston Villa news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.