Barry aside, Aston Villa have another ‘incredible’ 17-year-old who Smith should give minutes to – TBR View

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Aston Villa’s academy has several superb talents who look destined for Premier League football in the near future.

One of those is Carney Chukwuemeka, who is already playing – and shining – for Villa’s Under-23s despite not turning 18 until October.

The England Under-18 midfielder joined the Villa setup from Northampton five years ago and has risen through the ranks to become one of the most highly-rated youngsters at the club.

According to Goal.com, the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool and Manchester City were all linked with Chukwuemeka before he signed his first professional contract in October.

Meanwhile, Bayern Munich and Juventus have since reportedly joined the queue for a player who has been earning rave reviews ever since his move to Villa aged 12.

On Wednesday, Chukwuemeka registered two goals and two assists as Villa’s youngsters ran out 9-0 winners over Burton’s U18s at Villa Park in the last 16 of the FA Youth Cup.

Goal.com says he has previously compared himself to Paul Pogba, and following his display against the Brewers, some fans noticed similarities between their styles of play.

“We’re starting to see a little bit more of what he’s about,” Villa U23s boss Mark Delaney told the Birmingham Mail in February, as quoted by Goal.com.

“We’ve got high hopes for him, like a lot of our players. He’s still only 17 and he’s got a lot of development left in him. We’ve just got to make sure we’re pushing and stretching him all of the time.”

Given he’s already shown he’s a cut above at Under-23s level, and with Villa well clear of any relegation worries, now would be a good time for Dean Smith to give Chukwuemeka some senior minutes.

Smith has already named him in a Premier League matchday squad – against Leicester in February – so he clearly has a lot of faith in the talented midfielder.

Some minutes before the end of the season ahead of a loan move to a Championship or League One club next season, and hopefully he’ll pass all these tests with flying colours.