The confidence and composure of Aston Villa starlet Carney Chukwuemeka has earned him the admiration of first-team manager Dean Smith, U23s boss Mark Delaney has told the Birmingham Mail.
As you might expect, given he has been linked with some of Europe’s biggest clubs since the turn of the year, 17-year-old Chukwuemeka isn’t short of admirers at Bodymoor Heath either.
The Aston Villa starlet is already a regular at U23 level and has been rewarded with an opportunity to test his mettle against the likes of Jack Grealish, John McGinn and Tyrone Mings in training in recent weeks.
“He’s doing really, really well,” Delaney explains of Chukwuemeka, who scored his first goal for the second-team in a 4-4 draw with Crystal Palace this month.
“We’re starting to see a little bit more of what he’s about.
“That was his first goal (versus Palace) and we’ve talked to him about scoring more goals, being more positive with his runs, and getting himself in that final third racking up some assists and more goals.
“We spoke about him being more proactive with and without the ball.”
Delaney believes such is Chukwuemeka’s supreme self-confidence, he has shown few signs of nervousness when called up to train with the Aston Villa seniors.
“(Dean Smith) says the same when he’s in the first team training. He’s comfortable in what he’s about,” Delaney adds.
“He’s a confident lad, will receive the ball anywhere on the pitch, under pressure and not under pressure. That’s what the manager likes. He comes into an environment and settles in quickly.
“We’ve got high hopes for him like a lot of our players. He’s still only 17 and has got a lot of development left in him.”
According to talkSPORT, Juventus, Bayern Munich and Liverpool are all watching closely, although Aston Villa have no interest in losing a player once described by academy manager Mark Harrison as the best player in England in his age group.
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