In other Aston Villa news, it can be REVEALED that a Villa forward is on his way to the north west after the club gave the green light over his exit.
Exclusive: Darren Bent backs ‘impressive’ Aston Villa 20-yr-old to make big PL impact
EXCLUSIVE
Darren Bent has backed Aston Villa winger Andre Green to make an impact on the first-team next season despite the Premier League being a “different animal” to the Championship.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the former Villain said that he had been impressed by what he had seen of the 20-year-old forward to date and that he was deserving of a chance to act as backup to the senior stars.
Green spent the first half of the 2018/19 campaign on loan at League One side Portsmouth before returning to Villa and playing on a semi-regular basis under Dean Smith.
The young wide man has got Bent’s backing for next season despite the former England international admitting the Premier League is going to be a serious test for the Villains.
Bent told Football Insider: “I’ve seen a little bit of him. Hopefully, he can get the opportunity, I thought he did well. I’ve seen him a couple of times and he’s impressed me.
“We’re dealing with a completely different animal in the Premier League, to stay in the Premier League you need goal scorers.
“I’d have him there as an option, maybe not as a first choice, he’s got time on his hands which is great. They’ve made a couple of good signings, the first season is going to be hard but if they can stay in there, the second season will be a lot easier.”
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Green has 48 appearances for Villa’s first-team under his belt, 22 of those coming last season in a campaign which saw him net once.
He also has two Premier League outings, totalling 57 minutes of game time, to his name, appearing as a substitute against Tottenham and Swansea City in their relegation campaign.