Gary Neville was left stunned by one moment from Zion Suzuki during the goalkeeper’s Aston Villa debut against Arsenal, describing his extraordinary distribution as one of the best passes he has ever seen.
Suzuki made his first Premier League appearance in Monday night’s 1-0 defeat at Villa Park after Unai Emery immediately promoted the £30million summer signing into his starting XI.
The Japan international could not prevent Bukayo Saka scoring Arsenal’s winner, but his first appearance provided Villa with one of the evening’s biggest positives.
It was one remarkable piece of distribution which particularly caught Neville’s attention.
Sky Sports shared footage of Suzuki firing an exceptional long pass upfield, prompting the former Manchester United defender to say: “One of the best passes I’ve ever seen!”
Sky described the delivery as “Ederson-esque”, a comparison which hints at precisely why Villa were prepared to make such a significant investment in the 23-year-old.
Zion Suzuki gives Aston Villa glimpse of new dimension
Suzuki’s ability with the ball was one of his major attractions before his move from Parma.
The Guardian’s profile of Suzuki before his Villa switch highlighted his ability to play long passes as one of the qualities developed during his time in Serie A.
That ability was immediately visible against Arsenal.
Villa were under pressure for extended periods, but Suzuki repeatedly showed a willingness to play beyond Arsenal’s first press rather than simply surrender possession.
The Guardian also picked out his accurate long-range passing when assessing Villa’s performance at Villa Park.
That could become particularly important for Emery.
Opposition teams regularly attempt to press Villa high, and a goalkeeper capable of bypassing that pressure gives Emery another route into the attacking half.
It is still very early, but Neville’s reaction demonstrates just how unusual Suzuki’s passing range can be.
Aston Villa see early promise after Emi Martinez succession call
Villa have made a huge decision in goal this summer.
Emiliano Martinez departed for Chelsea, leaving Suzuki to inherit the No.1 position immediately after arriving from Parma.
That succession was already clear when Aston Villa handed Suzuki the No.1 role following Martinez’s departure.
Emery then made it competitive reality by handing Suzuki his Villa debut alongside Nicolas Jackson against Arsenal.
There was pressure attached to replacing one of the most important players of Villa’s recent era.
Suzuki handled his first examination encouragingly.
He produced several important interventions during the defeat, including a strong one-on-one stop from Kai Havertz, as detailed in our Aston Villa 0-1 Arsenal match report..
Villa still have significant problems elsewhere.
Emery’s side have started the season with consecutive defeats and, as our analysis of Villa’s unwanted 24-year low explains, they are yet to register a shot on target in the Premier League.
Suzuki, however, offered one convincing reason for optimism.
And it took him less than one full Premier League appearance to produce a pass which left Neville almost lost for words.
