Aston Villa have signed a player who 'looks better than Morgan Rogers' - ex-Villa scout

Johan Manzambi looked even better than Morgan Rogers as he starred against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday on his full Aston Villa debut.

That is the opinion of former senior Villa scout, Bryan King, speaking exclusively to Football Insider.

The 20-year-old scored and assisted as the Villans won 3-2 in North London, making his long-awaited debut after a bout with injury.

Villa signed Manzambi in a club-record £50million deal from Freiburg in the summer transfer window, hijacking the move after Newcastle United had spent days in talks.

The Switzerland international scored seven goals and provided six assists last season, but exploded onto the scene at the World Cup with several majorly impressive performances.

The midfielder has replaced Rogers, who joined Chelsea in a £117m deal in the summer and featured as the Blues were smashed 3-0 by Brentford on Friday.

Johan Manzambi 'impressed me'

Manzambi has an incredibly tall task replacing Rogers, who scored 14 goals and provided 11 assists last season.

The England international has started brilliantly at Chelsea, too, scoring three goals and providing four assists in just seven games.

Yet there is hope that Manzambi could well become an even better player in the coming years.

"He certainly looks as though he's been chomping at the bit to play, that's for sure," King told Football Insider. "He came from Freiburg, he a record signing for Villa.

"On that performance, he certainly outshone Rogers on Friday night. As he outshone a lot of Chelsea players on Friday night.

"Manzambi, he certainly impressed me on that performance. You could see somebody who wanted to play football. I mean, he's obviously frustrated by joining Villa and having the injury problem.

"He certainly looked a player and on that performance, he looked better than Rogers. So, let's hope that continues."

The stats behind Manzambi's first Aston Villa start

Perhaps most remarkable about Manzambi's first start was his willingness to drive at his opponents.

The 20-year-old was positive every time, and it was his movement that earned him his goal and assist.

But there was far more, too. Manzambi created two chances, took four shots, was fouled twice and attempted four dribbles.

Off the ball, he was equally as imperious, making a tackle, block, clearance, four recoveries and winning four duels.