'He's an exciting player' - Aston Villa 'powerhouse' returns vs Brentford
Brian Madjo's return to the Aston Villa squad will be a major positive for Unai Emery ahead of Saturday's clash against Brentford.
That is according to former senior Villa scout, Bryan King, speaking exclusively to Football Insider.
The 17-year-old is yet to make his Premier League debut, having been forced to wait for the outcome of a CAS appeal so he could appear for the club after his £10million move from Metz.
Madjo made his highly-anticipated competitive debut for Villa in the Super Cup against PSG, scoring his first goal and dominating both Pacho and Marquinhos in the duel.
He was subsequently ruled out with an ankle injury but is now finally set to return for Saturday's important clash against Brentford.
The striker is thought to have leapfrogged Tammy Abraham in Emery's pecking order already, and will likely become the primary competition for Nicolas Jackson.
Brian Madjo 'has the power of a 23-year-old'
Remarkably, Madjo's goal against PSG was the first of his senior career - it is his astonishing physique and frame that convinced Villa to invest so much in him.
The teenager is a physical phenomenon and could have quite easily have netted a hat-trick against the European champions.
Villa and Emery hope that he will find the step to the Premier League just as comfortable, but caution must be taken, too.
"He's an exciting player, this kid. 17 years old, he's got the power of a 23-year-old," King told Football Insider.
"He's big, he's strong. For the money they paid for him, about £10m, for me, he's more of an exciting player than the boy Jackson, who everybody expected to set Chelsea alight - he didn't.
"Jackson has been a bit like Richarlison and [Dominic] Solanke going to Tottenham. He hasn't really fulfilled what everybody expected of him, and I was a bit surprised he went to Villa, to be honest.
"I'd like to see this kid [Madjo] get a run in the league, just to see what he can produce. For me, if he's going to get a chance and he hits a grand run in, he could be a major plus for any team in the Premier League."
What has Unai Emery said about Madjo?
Madjo will have to take his opportunities when they come in the Premier League and the domestic cups, after he was left out of the Champions League squad.
"Madjo is 17 years old, still being so, so young, and of course he will have more opportunities to play with us this year or the next year in Europe," Emery said when asked about the decision.
Yet the striker will still have an opportunity to change his manager's mind this season.
Villa will be able to add three new players after the January transfer window if they qualify for the knockout rounds, and Madjo could well make his inclusion something Emery cannot ignore.