Emery ‘must be impressed by Charlie Pavey’ after Aston Villa moment v Puskas
Aston Villa Under-19s have progressed to the next round of the UEFA Youth League after a win against Puskas Akademia on Wednesday.
The Young Lions travelled to Felcsut, Hungary on 12 February with a view to progressing to the round of 16 in Europe’s elite academy competition.
This is exactly what Josep Gombau’s side did, securing a 2-1 win at the Pancho Stadium to keep their continental football journey going this campaign.
There were many standout performers on the night but Unai Emery will have been impressed by one gem in particular after having a telling impact on the victory.
Charlie Pavey shines for Aston Villa in Youth League win
There were many names that Villa supporters would have recognised from the start in Hungary, none more so than Ben Broggio.
The hattrick hero from the FA Youth Cup, Mason Cotcher also started in Europe and even opened the scoring on the day.
Despite this, it was the performance of Charlie Pavey that particularly caught the eye for the Villans as he grabbed a goal and an assist to help secure the win.
This capped off an excellent performance where the 18-year-old had also kept up a 76 per cent pass accuracy from the number 10 role while also making three key passes [SofaScore].
The Englishman wasn’t afraid to take a risk to help create a chance either as he attempted an additional five crosses and two long balls.
The attacking midfielder maintained a 100 per cent accuracy for both shooting and dribbling, which sums up his contribution against the Hungarian outfit.
This isn’t to say that he didn’t help out defensively as he won four duels while also chipping in with one tackle, one interception and one clearance.
It is this showing as a complete package that is likely to impress the first-team management if his performances continue at this level.
Unai Emery could hand Charlie Pavey first-team chance at Aston Villa
It has to be said that Emery hasn’t always been forthcoming to hand academy talent’s chances in the first team during his reign in B6.
Despite this, someone like Lamare Bogarde has managed to take advantage of opportunities to become a regular on the bench and in the starting XI at times this season.
This could be a similar process used for Pavey who could certainly add plenty to the Spaniard’s side when given an opportunity to star for the senior side.
The young Englishman’s desire to get on the ball and make things happen could serve him well, especially given how well the likes of Morgan Rogers and Jacob Ramsey have grown under Emery’s guidance.