Gary Lineker loves Aston Villa player 'who's got it all' and could soon be world class
Gary Lineker knows a striker when he sees one - and Aston Villa may have a future "world class" one on their hands in Nicolas Jackson.
Jackson arrived at Villa Park from Chelsea in the summer for a fee of around £47.5million, rising to £65m with add-ons.
The Senegal international will have to tick various boxes in order to trigger those clauses, though he is already on his way to doing so.
He has five goals in his first seven Premier League and Champions League matches combined for the Villans.
Jackson's downfall has often been his consistency, but Lineker believes he has a chance to put that right under Unai Emery when selected regularly.
And given what Lineker can see in Jackson, Villa really do have a special player on their hands.
Gary Lineker poses one big question to Nicolas Jackson
Jackson will continue to be Emery's go-to man up top as Villa fans seek a new hero following Ollie Watkins' summer exit.
The powerful striker has also showed his creative side with 0.8 chances created per game in the Premier League this term.
Only four Villa players can better that, with Johan Manzambi leading the way on an impressive 1.7
Jackson's 2.2 dribbles per game is easily the most of any Villa player, meanwhile, with Joao Gomes next on the list with one.
Speaking on Friday's The Rest is Football on Netflix, Lineker posed the question of whether Jackson can now show some consistency.
"When he plays well, you go 'wow'," Lineker said.
"I've watched him quite a lot, even when at Villarreal, and there's a lot of ability in there; a striker in there.
"What he needs to do now is be consistent to elevate him to a world-class striker. It's good for him working with Emery again - Jackson's given him a lot of credit for teaching him the game.
"But you've seen when he's performing well, you go 'he's got it all'. He holds it up, he makes runs, he's quick and he can finish. So you wonder why is this guy not scoring 20 goals a season?
"He's had one or two knocks, which everyone has, but he's 25 and in his absolute prime now. It's interesting to watch his progress. Can he do it consistently?"
So Lineker certainly likes what he sees in Jackson, but now wants him to get to the 20-goal mark.
Just how realistic an aim is that?
How many goals should Nicolas Jackson be aiming for?
Micah Richards questioned that 20-goal figure, which Lineker then doubled down on.
The point the former prolific striker was making is that any player who wants to consider themselves in the elite list must be aiming for that.
However, it must be remembered that even Watkins did not reach that figure when at his peak.
The England international scored 19 in his most prolific campaign of 2023-24.
Christian Benteke also reached that figure in 2012-13, while Dwight Yorke twice managed 17 in his time at Villa Park.
In all competitions it is certainly achievable, but if Jackson does his that 20-goal figure in the Premier League alone, he really would put himself in the absolute top bracket of strikers.