Why Max Jenner has timed his Aston Villa U21s brilliance perfectly after display vs Crewe

Max Jenner may have improved his chances of a first-team breakthrough after Aston Villa Under-21s' game against Crewe Alexandra on Tuesday.

The young Villans squared up to Crewe's senior side in the Football League Trophy, but were unable to get their first three points of the competition.

James Shan's side lost 4-1, but there were still plenty of positives to take, including Jenner's performance.

Villa's U21s are still finding their feet this season, having only won once in six games since the campaign started.

Unlike Unai Emery's side, the youngsters are not having trouble scoring, but are finding it hard to keep the ball out of their own net.

While Shan will hope that Villa's U21s iron out the defensive issues, a real positive can be taken in Jenner's performance.

Max Jenner emerges head and shoulders above Aston Villa teammates vs Crewe

Jenner got himself on the scoresheet in the 85th minute, curling the ball off the post and in from the edge of the box.

The defensive midfielder usually sits back and wins the ball for his side, but this time he ventured forward and showed his quality at the other end.

But the statistics behind the 18-year-old's performance show just how good he was.

As per Sofascore data, he made two key passes in the match with an overall passing accuracy of 83 per cent.

He made 12 passes in the opposition's half, while completing all 23 passes in Villa's half.

The teenager carried the ball for a total of 142.9 metres, making 18 carries.

Jenner won all of his attempted tackles and made two interceptions, as well as two clearances.

His 60-touch masterclass showed that he was head and shoulders above his U21s colleagues, and the performance may have come at the perfect time for him.

Why Jenner's U21s brilliance has come at perfect time

Villa are building for their future, and that was shown in their transfer window this summer.

The Villans brought in the likes of Zion Suzuki, Johan Manzambi and Ibrahim Mbaye as signings for both the short-term and long-term.

Pre-season saw Emery use the likes of George Hemmings and Brian Madjo, who will both play a part for the senior team this season.

The Villa boss will have some important areas to attend to at Bodymoor Heath, and Villa's youngsters are one of the areas that the Spaniard will focus on.

That said, Jenner has put himself in the best position possible to be looked at by Emery over this extended international break.

Perhaps it won't be long until the midfielder is in first-team training.