Aston Villa have produced so many talented players through their academy who have gone on to achieve greatness in the game.
Jack Grealish is the prime example, having developed through Villa’s academy before becoming a hero and sealing a £100 million move to Manchester City in 2021.
Jacob Ramsey is another, the 23-year-old midfielder who made his debut for the club in 2019 and has gone from strength to strength since despite suffering injuries.
Villa have a constant flow of talent developing through Bodymoor Heath and 17-year-old Ben Broggio can become the next Grealish if he continues his rapid rise to stardom.
Sadly, not every player who comes through an elite academy make it to the top level. Some are released and told to find a club lower down the pyramid while others quit the game altogether.
Aston Villa academy talent Myles Sohna retires at the age of just 22
In the case of Myles Sohna, the young centre-back has been denied a career in the professional game.
Sohna was developing into a promising defender as he rose through the academy system at Villa Park, featuring 17 times for the under-18s and on 11 occasions for the under-21s.
The youngster would have had ambitions of developing into a top talent in the future but after rupturing his ACL twice in both knees, Sohna has been forced into retirement at the age of just 22.
Sohna announced the news via his Instagram and penned an emotional message, explaining the reason behind why he came to the decision.
Sohna has suffered horrid luck with injuries up till this point, forcing him to have three operations, with the defender advised that continuing his career would not only affect his ability to play but also impact his quality of life.
It’s an incredibly sad story but the above statement just shows what a type of person he is, and Sohna will no doubt bounce back from this setback.
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Tim Iroegbunham, Cameron Archer and others send messages to Sohna
Those who played with Sohna in Villa’s academy were quick to respond to his post, including striker Cameron Archer, who wrote: “😢My G❤️.”
Tim Iroegbunham, who Villa sold to Everton in the summer, also responded: “My bro mann, all the best💙.”
Omari Kellyman was another who briefly spent time with Sohna before joining Chelsea this year, and he wrote: “All the best bro!❤️”
Meanwhile, current academy centre-back Sil Swinkels replied: “All the best bro❤️.”
Sohna being forced into retirement at just the tender age of 22 just shows that nothing is guaranteed in football and Villa have been denied a potentially great player in the process.
