Adama has been one of the bargains of the season so far for Boro, but Villa never saw the best of the former Barca youngster.
Middlesbrough winger Adama Traore has told The Guardian that Tim Sherwood’s decision to compare him to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo hindered rather than helped his development at Aston Villa.
The former Barcelona starlet, who emerged from the famous La Masia youth academy, arrived at Villa to huge expectations last summer, especially after showcasing glimpses of his lightning pace and rapid dribbling in his first couple of games for the Midlands side.
Consequently, then-Villa boss Sherwood, a man whose exclamations should often be taken with a pinch of salt, described his young winger as ‘a bit of Messi and a bit of Ronaldo’.
However, instead of boosting his confidence and giving him the self-belief to kick on and spearhead a remarkable escape from relegation, comparing an unproven teenager to two of the greatest players of all time only heaped pressure on Traore and he fell out of favour once Sherwood had been replaced by Remi Garde.
And the 20-year-old, who is once again demonstrating his promise with Middlesbrough, has admitted that the former Tottenham manager’s hyperbole proved damaging to his reputation at Villa Park.
“It was good to hear that from Tim. But when people think it’s possible that I can play like this, and then I don’t, those people question you,” Adama told The Guardian.
Regardless, Villa fans will be wishing they had given him another opportunity to prove exactly why Barcelona were once so excited about his potential, with the winger leaving for the Riverside in a swap deal with Albert Adomah.
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