Aston Villa striker Keinan Davis scored on Tuesday night.
Aston Villa striker Keinan Davis has told the Daily Mail that Dean Smith promised him he would play if he stayed with the club rather than feel like he had to go out on loan.
Villa were in Carabao Cup action on Tuesday night, and saw off League Two side Crewe Alexandra with a thumping 6-1 victory.
Conor Hourihane bagged a brace, but it was a big night for striker Davis too, as he got his name on the scoresheet too.
Davis, 21, only managed six appearances last season due to injuries, but made his Premier League debut against Bournemouth in Villa’s second game of the season, coming on as a substitute.
The physical 6ft 2in striker would have been forgiven for not expecting much playing time now Villa are back in the Premier League, but he took his chance on Tuesday.
Davis pounced with the fourth Villa goal, and with Jonathan Kodjia out injured, he has a chance to really push Wesley for playing time in Smith’s first team.
Davis has now admitted that he thought about going out on loan during the summer transfer window, but boss Smith urged him to stay as he would get a chance in the Villa side.
Now that has been realised, Davis wants to kick on and play even more, even if Wesley is Villa’s clear first choice after his big-money summer move.
“In the transfer window he (Smith) told me he wanted me to stay, which gave me massive confidence, and now I’m trying to repay him with my performances,” said Davis. “At the start (of pre-season) I thought about going out on loan, that maybe I wouldn’t play as much because I wanted to get as many games as I could.”
“But he kept on reassuring me, telling me ‘Stay and you’ll play’. I had to trust him. He reassured me so it was all good in the end. He’s given me an opportunity, now I have to prove myself to him,” he added.
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