The Aston Villa owner is not optimistic about the club’s chances of unearthing a global superstar.
Aston Villa owner Tony Xia has revealed on Twitter that he does not expect the club’s academy to produce the next Lionel Messi, but did say that “great players” will come through.
The Chinese businessman was asked on social media whether Xia’s prospective plans to open a new academy could yield a global phenomenon.
But although the 39-year-old does not expect Aston Villa to unearth a Messi-esque player in the near future, he does believe very talented players will continue to come through the ranks.
Of course, the most promising player at Aston Villa at the moment has to be Jack Grealish, and the 20-year-old midfielder has enjoyed a fine start in the Championship after netting twice in four games.
But the likes of Andre Green, 18, and 17-year-old Rushian Hepburn-Murphy also represent reasons to be cheerful from the Villans’ perspective.
Green has featured in all five of Aston Villa’s league outings thus far, though Hepburn-Murphy remains on the fringes of the first team and has not played this season.
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