A 4-2 defeat to Real Sociedad on Tuesday may have irritated perfectionist head coach Unai Emery, but the display of teenage striker Brian Madjo offered a glimpse into Aston Villa's future. The 6ft 4in forward, already compared to Romelu Lukaku, scored Villa's equaliser at 2-2 after 56 minutes with a predatory finish, continuing his impressive pre-season after a brace against Walsall last week.
Madjo, however, cannot yet play competitive games for Villa. The club is awaiting the outcome of an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) as they attempt to register the England Under-17 international, who joined from Metz for £10m in January and does not turn 18 until January next year. Under-18s cannot complete international transfers, but Villa have argued Madjo was born in London and should be exempt, despite holding three caps for Luxembourg. FIFA does allow some exemptions for minors transferring within the European Union – something the UK is no longer part of.
“Teenage striker Brian Madjo scores for Villa in 4-2 friendly defeat as club awaits CAS appeal to register him”
George Hemmings also scored for Villa, while Modou Cisse was among the youngsters likely to feature in the squad going forward. Matty Cash, Tyrone Mings and Emi Buendia started the match, but many of Emery's trusted lieutenants were absent, including Ollie Watkins, Ezri Konsa, John McGinn, Victor Lindelof and Emi Martinez, all away on World Cup duty, while Tammy Abraham returns from a shoulder issue.
With Watkins and Abraham unavailable, Madjo has the chance to impress in friendlies. The tantalising prospect of him being unleashed in the Premier League in the new year – or earlier if Villa get their way – remains.
There was still work for Emery, who spent much of the first half talking to himself and gesturing to the bench. Getting Madjo and 19-year-old midfielder Hemmings to follow instructions to pull wider proved difficult. Luka Lynch, the 19-year-old winger, needed the instruction "don't move" repeated several times before he stopped and collected the ball.
Villa are still in the market for a striker, with Chelsea's Nicolas Jackson a top target. But in Madjo, Emery has a prospect he can refine quietly before the spotlight arrives. Villa are the Europa League holders after beating Freiburg in May.