‘Swinkels to knock on Emery’s door’ at Aston Villa after U21 stunner v Bradford
Sil Swinkels will have impressed Unai Emery with his Aston Villa under-21s display against Bradford City on Tuesday.
The Young Lions were dumped out of the EFL Trophy on Tuesday after falling to a 3-1 defeat against the League Two outfit at Villa Park.
A first-half strike from Kyrie Pierre wasn’t enough as the away side netted three in the opening 26 minutes of action in B6.
Regardless of the result, many performances will have caught the eye of Emery with Swinkels’ defensive showing being particularly impressive.
Sil Swinkels impresses for Aston Villa U21 v Bradford
The Dutchman has been linked with a move away from the West Midlands with Wycombe Wanderers showing an interest during the winter window [Jacob Tanswell].
Despite this, there is every chance that a first-team opportunity could come calling due to an injury to Pau Torres against Brighton.
It is safe to say that with his performance against Bradford, Swinkels has given a good account of himself to take up that role with the Spain international absent.
What Emery will like is the 21-year-old’s ability on the ball which saw him register an 80 per cent pass accuracy across his 67 touches at Villa Park [SofaScore].
The young defender also completed two long passes which is reflective of what Torres does so well in the first team.
Defensively Swinkels showed a positive attitude against senior players as he won 100 per cent of his 12 attempted duels on the night.
Also chipping in with 12 clearances and six tackles will impress Emery who will have one eye on introducing him into the first team in the coming weeks.
In other Aston Villa news, shock emerges at Villa Park as a player has publicly called out an Emery lie.
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