Aston Villa starlet Cameron Archer has a golden chance to impress Unai Emery to earn himself a spot in the first-team as the team prepares for pre-season.
The 21-year-old was impressive on loan at Middlesbrough last season, scoring 11 and assisting six times in 20 Championship appearances, and he could present himself as a centre-forward option next season.
The England under-21 star has had a good scoring record at youth levels, and now is the time for him to translate that into senior Aston Villa appearances.
Villa’s pre-season tour, which will see them travel to both the USA and Spain, will give Archer the chance to make himself undroppable for Emery, who may see him as a contender for minutes, with extra rotation necessary following the Villains’ qualification for the European Conference League.
Will Emery give Archer a chance?
Emery has shown at his previous clubs, that if a young player impresses him enough in pre-season, he will earn himself a fair chance during the campaign.
The most recent example of this is with Nicolas Jackson at Villarreal. The young striker delivered some impressive performances in pre-season last year and took the opportunity to break into the team. Over the course of the season, he eventually hit top form, and earned himself a summer transfer to Chelsea.
Archer therefore needs to impose himself in pre-season, and give Emery a selection headache once the season starts. Whilst it does seem unlikely that he will overtake Ollie Watkins in the pecking order, he can break into the squad as his understudy, if he can convince his manager that he is ready to step up to the next level.
Villa are set to face Premier League opposition in Newcastle, Fulham and Brentford whilst on tour, and this could be ideal for Archer to test himself against a higher-level of team.
