MK Dons manager Liam Manning paid tribute to an ‘exciting, dangerous’ Aston Villa team after Tuesday’s EFL Trophy defeat to the Premier League club’s U21 side, while speaking on the club’s Twitter feed.
The future is bright at Bodymoor Heath.
Aston Villa’s next generation have made short work of their experienced opposition in the EFL Trophy, putting three past Wycombe Wanderers, four past Burton Albion and another four past an MK Dons side who just could not live with their speed, incision and creativity at Stadium MK.
Keinan Davis marked his return from injury with the opener following a defensive mix-up, before the hosts turned the game around thanks to goals from Max Watters and Tottenham Hotspur loanee Troy Parrott.
A topsy-turvy counter than swung back in Villa’s direction, Davis setting up the prolific Cameron Archer for his first of a match-winning brace, sandwiching Aaron Ramsey’s second-half tap-in.
“(Villa) have invested huge amounts in that team,” MK Dons coach Manning said a side who won the FA Youth Cup earlier in the year before scoring a staggering 26 goals in just nine Premier League 2 matches this season.
“They did well in the FA Youth Cup last year too. They have some exciting young prospects there, and what we saw was a certain physical profile.
“On the counter-attack, they were dangerous and direct. Good luck to them, they did well tonight.”
Davis’s impressive return to action will have warmed the cockles of Villa boss Dean Smith, but it was the performance of Archer which again caught the eye in midweek.
The Walsall-born 19-year-old has now scored six goals in just three EFL Trophy fixtures, leaving Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink puffing out his cheeks and highlighting the different a ‘quality player’ like him can make following the thrashing of Burton Albion earlier in October.
More Premier League opportunities will surely be coming Archer’s way before long.
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