One academy star in Jack Grealish is set to leave Aston Villa, but supporters have identified another coming through to possibly replace him in Carney Chukwuemeka.
The 17-year-old made his Villa debut towards the back end of last season and he will be hoping for more minutes out on that pitch ahead of the new campaign.
And with Grealish on the verge of moving to the Etihad, Villa supporters are looking for a new hero, as they reacted to Chukwuemeka’s Twitter post.
Many Villa fans are backing him to take the Grealish mantle in the long run and are expecting big things from the midfielder.
Chukwuemeka won the FA Youth Cup with the Midlands side last season – their first since 2004 – and his reputation sky-rocketed during that period.
Dean Smith has proven before that he is willing to provide chances to the younger players and Chukwuemeka is someone worth keeping an eye on.
The teenage star has magic at his feet, a great first touch, the ability to carry the ball like he has been watching videos of Paul Pogba and a consistent intent to drive forward.
Villa’s midfield is pretty packed and it wouldn’t be a surprise if more names are added this summer, such as James Ward-Prowse.
But it will be interesting to see how that affects Chukwuemeka because fans would want to see him on the bench and trying to push for first-team minutes next season.
Here is a selection of Villa fans sharing their thoughts on Chukwuemeka:
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