The 20-year-old midfielder put pen to paper on a two-year contract extension earlier this week.
Aston Villa manager Roberto Di Matteo has spoken of his eagerness to watch Jordan Lyden progress after the midfielder committed his future to the club this week by signing a two-year contract extension.
Lyden, 20, had entered the final 12 months of his previous deal before opting to put pen to paper on fresh terms on Wednesday, tying him down to the claret and blues until the summer of 2019.
The former Australia Under-20 international has yet to feature for the club this season after breaking into the first-team setup last term under former boss Remi Garde, but Di Matteo is excited about his potential and keen see how he continues to develop going forward.
Asked about Lyden’s new deal at his pre-match press conference ahead of Saturday’s visit of Newcastle United, the Italian told reporters: “We want to keep watching his development and see how good he can become.
“We felt, as a club, that we wanted to extend his contract and keep him here for the next two years.”
Lyden, who was born in Australia to English parents, first joined Villa from ECU Joondalup in 2012 and has since risen through the ranks to establish himself as one of the West Midlands side’s top prospects.
His impressive displays as captain of the Under-21s saw him called up to the senior squad for the first time last December, when he was named as an unused substitute for the 2-0 home defeat to Arsenal, while he then made his first-team debut the following month with a late cameo in the 1-1 FA Cup third-round draw at Wycombe Wanderers.
The academy graduate went on to make five further appearances for the club over the next few months, including his first Premier League start, but he subsequently suffered a worrying blow on the final day of the season when he tore a quad muscle in the second half of the 4-0 loss at Arsenal.
It was initially feared that the injury could keep him out of action for the opening stages of the new campaign, but the versatile youngster was fortunately able to return to full training by the end of preseason and even featured in the 3-0 friendly win over Cambridge United.
He is still waiting to make his first competitive appearance under Di Matteo, but with his ability to operate either in midfield or at right-back, there will hopefully be opportunities for him to earn playing time over the coming months.
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