Unai Emery to have one eye on George Hemmings as training footage drops at Aston Villa
George Hemmings could still prove to be the breakout star of the season at Aston Villa.
Villa signed Hemmings from Nottingham Forest in 2024 as the B6 club continued their process of bringing in the best academy talent available.
The 18-year-old is just one in a long-line of youth team signings, with Fletcher Boyd from Aberdeen being one of the latest at Villa.
There were high hopes over pre-season that Hemmings could become a first-team asset for Villa after featuring regularly in friendlies under Unai Emery.
The chances of this were dealt a blow when Hemmings suffered an injury early in the campaign, but that could be set to change at Villa Park.
George Hemmings spotted in Aston Villa training
Hemmings was excellent for Villa against Hansa Rostock over the summer as he introduced himself to the claret and blue faithful.
The hope was that a fresh young talent could break into the first team and make a serious impact despite only being a teenager.
Historically, Emery has been reluctant to throw young players in at the deep end, with Villa being a key example of this.
It says a lot that Hemmings was given such a chance to thrive over pre-season, and as a result, it was a sizable blow when he picked up an injury earlier in the season.
An image has now emerged from Villa as their academy side continues preparations for a UEFA Youth League clash against Skenderbeu on 21 October, with his return close.
The Albanian outfit represents a relative unknown quantity for many and could prove to be the perfect opposition for the midfielder to make his long-awaited return.
Unai Emery has to trust Hemmings to thrive
Morgan Rogers is living proof that Emery can coach a young player into a world-class talent.
The attacking midfielder came in from Middlesbrough in a shock move and is now the reigning PFA Young Player of the Year, and is an England regular.
There will be similar hopes for Hemmings after what was a hugely promising spell across pre-season.
The teen will come back in for the academy side with the hope of making his presence felt on the first team moving forward.
Emery must know what sort of talent he has on his hands and should back the youngster to come in and thrive alongside the likes of Youri Tielemans, Boubacar Kamara and Amadou Onana.
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