Aston Villa winger Jaden Philogene has generated attention for his performance against Chelsea.
Philogene was a surprising inclusion in the starting XI when Aston Villa visited Stamford Bridge on Sunday afternoon.
The 22-year-old started in place of Leon Bailey, who has been poor of late, taking his position on the right flank.
The Englishman has struggled since returning to Villa Park from Hull City in the summer, starting just once in the Premier League and failing to score or assist in any of his 12 appearances.
Although Philogene was shortlisted for the Puskas Award this week, one moment in the Chelsea game left fans questioning his signing.
Aston Villa fans react to Jaden Philogene vs Chelsea
In the first half of the action against Chelsea on match day 13 of the Premier League season, Philogene was criticised for his negative involvement in Nicolas Jackson’s opening goal.
Just seven minutes into the game, the former Hull City man was guilty of making a heavy touch deep into his own half, which allowed Marc Cucurella to steal the ball off him and provide the cross for Jackson.
The Senegalese striker made no mistake by instinctively finishing past Emi Martinez, who perhaps could have done better on the goal himself.
Reacting to this goal during the game, Villa fans criticised Philogene for looking off the pace. “Philogene should be nowhere near the starting lineup. Dreadful and way off the pace,” one supporter said.
“Philogene being poor again, surprise surprise,” another commented. While a third responded: “Philogene can’t lose the ball there, it’s that simple.”
One fan even questioned the decision to sell Moussa Diaby and sign the youngster in his place.
“I don’t understand what Emery sees in Philogene,” a fifth said.
“Unai Emery giving loads of instructions to Jaden Philogene, mainly on his defensive positioning,” another replied.
Philogene is still adapting
When Villa signed Philogene from Hull, they would have expected him to follow in the footsteps of Morgan Rogers, who went from starring in the Championship to flourishing at the top level.
Unfortunately, he’s found it tough to adapt to playing in a team that’s battling across all fronts, from the Premier League to the Champions League.
Perhaps the expectations of Philogene from the fans have become a bit too high, as he was never expected to become a regular starter.
Hopefully, the fleet-footed winger can develop into a top player under Unai Emery and become an invaluable asset to the club.
