Teenager Lamare Bogarde could get a chance for Premier League giants Aston Villa in pre-season and may be included in their squad for the trip to Australia, as reported by The Athletic.
FA Youth Cup winners in 2021, the test now facing arguably Aston Villa’s most exciting crop of youngsters in generations is to prove that they can make the step up from the sterilised world of academy football to the most unforgiving of environments.
Carney Chukwuemeka, Cameron Archer and Tim Iroegbunam – should all three stay at Villa Park – look well-placed to secure a regular first-team berth under Steven Gerrard next term.
And Ben Chrisene, Tommi O’Reilly and 18-year-old Bogarde are among the next crop of fresh-faced starlets looking to follow in Chukwuemeka’s footsteps.
Is Lamare Bogarde on the verge of a first-team breakthrough at Aston Villa?
Aston Villa will soon jet out to Australia for a pre-season tour of Brisbane, taking on the likes of Leeds and Manchester United Down Under. And, according to The Athletic, Bogarde could have a seat on the plane.
Villa’s coaching staff have been impressed by the progress the 18-year-old centre-half has made since moving to the Midlands from Dutch giants Feyenoord back in 2020. The next test, for Bogarde, is to prove that he can handle himself against more experienced opposition.
And pre-season – with Villa set to come up against two Premier League rivals – will hand Bogarde the opportunity to do just that.
“(Bogarde) is a player with immense potential. And the commitment that will go into fulfilling that starts now,” academy manager Mark Harrison told the Birmingham Mail.
Bogarde has played just one first-team game for Aston Villa – albeit alongside a host of other U18s during a Covid-hit FA Cup clash with Liverpool in January 2021. The Netherlands youth international has trained regularly with the club’s senior stars, however, impressing with both his ability and his attitude behind the scenes.
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