Aston Villa travel to Turf Moor to face Burnley in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon and Steven Gerrard has a difficult decision to make on who to start in midfield.
Tim Iroegbunam was given the nod in the holding role as Villa beat Norwich City 2-0 and impressed for 73 minutes, so he’ll hope to keep his spot against the Clarets.
Marvelous Nakamba was an unused substitute against the Canaries and needs to boost his match fitness after returning from a long-term injury, however, so there’s a slim chance he could start ahead of the 18-year-old.
That being said, Gerrard was full of praise for Iroegbunam recently, saying he’s “very excited” to work with the “young and raw” midfielder in Friday’s pre-match press conference, so it’s clear he believes in his potential.
The Villa boss added that he wants a pathway to the first-team for young talent, so Iroegbunam’s positive Norwich performance should see make a second consecutive league start.
The 18-year-old has made 19 appearances for the Villa’s U23s and three appearances for the first-team since joining on a long-term deal from West Brom last summer.
Villa are eight points clear of the relegation zone with five games remaining, so there’s little risk in giving the promising youngsters some minutes. Iroegbunam was on the winning side last week too, so he shouldn’t be taken out of the spotlight.
In other news, Aston Villa were warned about Leon Bailey before signing him
