Aston Villa are in a dire financial situation so the Championship giants need to think outside the box.
If there is one good thing that has come out of the financial catastrophe enveloping Aston Villa, it is that the club’s array of highly-rated homegrown talent could find themselves suddenly thrown into the first-team.
Villa need to raise around £40 million to avoid Financial Fair Play sanctions this summer and a whole host of big names have been linked with a move away already, with more set to follow due to the desperate situation at the club.
But the departures of several first-team players should open the door for some of Villa’s youngsters to make their mark, if that is any consolation for worried supporters.
O’Hare was Villa’s academy Player of the Year, scoring 10 goals in 15 games from a creative midfield position as Kevin McDonald’s side finished second in the Premier League 2 Division Two last season. However, he is expected to miss the next three months with knee ligament damage.
Like O’Hare, striker Hepburn-Murphy (above) has been on the verge of the first-team for some time but is yet to open his account for the club.
Left-back Clark and attacking midfielder Doyle-Hayes, however, have made just a smattering of appearances between them in cup competitions.
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