Aston Villa aren’t short of playmakers in the first-team with Emiliano Buendia, Philippe Coutinho, Jacob Ramsey and Carney Chukwuemeka, but David Kent of the Daily Mail says James McAtee is on their shortlist.
The 19-year-old plays for Manchester City but has an uncertain future as his deal is up in 18 months and he’s yet to put pen to paper on a contract extension. McAtee has managed just three senior team appearances and will look at how an 18-year-old Phil Foden racked up 26 games and 1107 minutes in 2018/19.
McAtee is ‘itching’ for more playing time, so City risk losing the England U20 international this summer or next if first-team football continues to allude him. Villa are one of many clubs trying to capitalise on the situation and fans on social media believe it’s a smart move, though admitting City will likely keep him.
McAtee has scored 15 goals with nine assists from 34 games for the U18s, scored four goals with one assist from three games for the U19s and scored 23 goals with 16 assists from 44 games for the U23s. He’s been outstanding in the academy and needs to prove his worth competitively, but Pep Guardiola may prefer to keep him in the first-team with a view to giving him minutes.
He resisted the urge to loan out Phil Foden before his rise to prominence, so fans might be right to question whether Villa have a chance of getting McAtee.
In other news, fans on social media say Cameron Archer is a ‘baller’ after debut goal
