Unai Emery could be on course to save Aston Villa millions if one player is given a chance.
The Premier League season is just around the corner however, Aston Villa still have a lot of work to do.
Unai Emery will hope to see his side continue their impressive rate of progression over the 2024/25 campaign despite pre-season highlighting a range of issues.
On Saturday evening, Villa concluded their US pre-season tour with a defeat to Mexican side Club America but, one player hinted that he could be of great use to the manager in the near future.
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Kosta Nedeljkovic impressed in Aston Villa defeat to Club America
While Villa’s pre-season tour of the United States ended with three defeats from three games, there were some positives for Emery to take.
One plus was the performance level that Kosta Nedeljkovic showed during the tour, as the right-back put in another strong shift against Club America.
The Serbian was introduced to the fixture at the interval and impressed during his second-half cameo in place of Matty Cash on the right side of defence.
Journalist John Townley was full of praise for the teenager’s display, as he dubbed the defender as “immense” in his BirminghamLive player ratings.
“A few minutes into the second period, Nedeljkovic ran the length of the Club America half and tried to pull the ball across goal, but it was blocked for a corner.
“He has immense athleticism for his age – he only turned 18 back in December. He has tremendous recovery speed.”
Emery saw Nedeljkovic’s potential early as he captured the right-back in January from Red Star, where he was immediately loaned to gain additional experience.
Now showing his capabilities in claret and blue, the 18-year-old could assist the manager at solving one prominent issue within the Villa squad.
Unai Emery must utilise Nedeljkovic to ease defensive depth issue
As pre-season is a time for trial and error, the results that Villa have recorded in preparation for the 2024/25 campaign shouldn’t come as a huge concern.
That being said, there are some significant issues for Emery to solve, mostly revolving around squad depth.
Villa’s defence is lower on numbers than many would have hoped so close to the start of the season, with only two centre-backs currently in training.
Tyrone Mings and Ezri Konsa are expected to rejoin the squad in the coming weeks which will replenish Emery’s back line however, assistance is still needed.
That is where Nedeljkovic comes in, as the manager should have been inspired by the Serbian’s display against Club America.
In the instance that the £8m January signing can be seen as a first team player, Emery will have added options at right-back which will also bolster the central areas.
By being able to rely on Nedeljkovic, Villa will have Cash, Kaine Kesler-Hayden and the 18-year-old as options on the right side, which could allow Konsa to return to centre-back.
By simply having the former Red Star ace up to speed in the Premier League, Emery’s options at the back become far less of a concern and steering the club away from having to spend in the market.
The teenager’s experiences at Red Star will come of great use, as well as his encouraging start to life at Villa where he has impressed greatly in pre-season.
