Midlands | Promising signs for Villa despite pre season defeat

A good pre season workout for Villa despite a defeat against Real Sociedad

This season promises to bring a new version of Aston Villa under Unai Emery.

Author | Peter Grainger

A 4-2 defeat by Real Sociedad on Tuesday will have irritated their perfectionist head coach, but there is still plenty of time for Emery to fine-tune the Europa League holders before the new campaign begins.

With Brian Madjo, George Hemmings and Modou Cisse all likely to feature in the squad going forward, there was still plenty for Villa to take from their meeting with the La Liga side.

The performance of teenage striker Madjo was one such positive.

Villa are still awaiting the outcome of their appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) as they seek permission to register the England Under-17 international, who joined from Metz for £10m in January and does not turn 18 until January next year.

Players under the age of 18 cannot normally complete international transfers, but Villa have argued that Madjo, who was born in London, should be exempt despite having won three caps for Luxembourg.

Fifa does allow some exemptions for minors moving between clubs, including for players aged 16 or 17 transferring within the European Union, something the UK is no longer part of.

Standing at 6ft 4in, Madjo has already drawn comparisons with Belgium's Romelu Lukaku. His equaliser to make it 2-2 after 56 minutes was straightforward enough, but it demonstrated a sharp predatory instinct.

He proved a handful for Sociedad, with his strength and power unsettling the visiting defence. With Ollie Watkins still on a break following England's World Cup campaign and Tammy Abraham recovering from a shoulder problem, Madjo has an opportunity to make an impression.

Although he cannot currently play for Villa in competitive matches, there is the tantalising prospect of the imposing youngster being unleashed in the Premier League in the new year, or earlier if the club gets its way.

Villa remain in the market for a striker, with Chelsea's Nicolas Jackson still a leading target, but Madjo offers Emery a player he can develop away from the spotlight before his eventual introduction to the first team.