Aston Villa gems destined for first team as John McGinn delivers seal of approval
Rory Wilson and Aidan Borland have taken one step closer to making their Aston Villa debuts after starring for the Under-21s in a 3-1 win over Coventry City on Friday (12 April).
A brace from Wilson and a clinical strike from Borland saw the Villa youth team secure their spot in the Birmingham Senior Cup final, overshadowing a relatively poor season in the league.
Despite sitting 19th in a league of 26 teams, the young duo were brought into the U21s side to face Coventry, both taking their opportunity to impress in the 3-1 victory.
Wilson, an 18-year-old striker, has been lighting up the U18 Premier League this season, netting 16 goals in 13 appearances, while also playing nine matches at U21s level and scoring twice.
Borland, on the other hand, is just 16 years of age but is already coming into his own in the midfield, having only arrived at Villa Park from Celtic last summer. He has managed to record four assists in the U18 Premier League so far.
With both representing Scotland youth teams at international level, John McGinn has already offered his seal of approval of the two after their performances in the Birmingham Senior Cup.
Taking to X on Friday (12 April), the Villa ace retweeted the club’s official full-time graphic of the duo, tagging Wilson and Borland alongside a side-eye and Scotland flag emojis.
Aston Villa future is bright at Villa Park
Though Borland is likely to have a few more seasons in the academy before stepping up to Unai Emery’s set-up, Wilson will be hoping that he has taken a very important step towards that ambition.
The forward’s goal record this season speaks for itself. It would be incredibly useful for the youngster to learn from someone such as Ollie Watkins, who has been firing on all cylinders for the first team.
Emery has already proven that there is a possible route to the first team via the academy, with Tim Iroegbunam being awarded for his performances, while Morgan Rogers and Jhon Duran have been given their fair share of opportunities since arriving at Villa Park.
At such young ages, Borland and Wilson have a lot of developing and improving to do until they are ready for first-team football, but introducing them to the set-up would do no harm at all.
In other Aston Villa news, Goodman has had his say on the speculation linking the Villans with one of their former players.
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