Hutton tips four Aston Villa starlets for first XI promotion after what he’s heard

Alan Hutton has claimed four Aston Villa academy products have a “great opportunity to shine” with several senior players ruled out.

Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the former Holte End favourite admitted he was excited at the prospect of seeing more youngsters given a chance.

Speaking after Tuesday’s 2-0 win over Norwich (14 December), Gerrard admitted it had been a “challenging week” losing players to Covid and injury.

The Villa boss praised academy products Jacob Ramsey, who scored the opener, and Carney Chukwuemeka, who set up the second.

Speaking to Villa TV last month (November 27), Christian Purslow insisted the club’s academy has made “huge progress” in recent years.

He went on to say he is “really excited” by some of the talent coming through.

With senior players out, Hutton suggested Chukwuemeka and three more young prospects could now get a chance to impress.

Hutton told Football Insider’s Russell Edge: “Obviously, Christian Purslow hasn’t been shy in talking about the youth setup and how much money they’ve spent.

“When you look at the Chukwuemeka brothers, (Cameron) Archer, (Jaden) Philogene-Bidace, there are opportunities for them.

“Nobody wants to see a squad hit by Covid. You don’t want to see that. However, if it does happen, and an opportunity arises, it’s a great opportunity to go to shine.

“Show the new manager what you’re capable of. Play with no fear. That’s what you’re there for, to go and enjoy it.

“It will be really good if we can see one or two of these young boys. They’ve started to break through. We saw it under Dean Smith. It would be good to see Steven Gerrard continue that so we can see more.”

Carney Chukwuemeka, 18, made his fourth Premier League appearance of the season against Norwich.

He has played a total of eight times for the senior side.

In other news, the ‘next Jack Grealish’ is already at Aston Villa after ‘amazing’ claim.