Jaden Philogene has rejoined Aston Villa after less than 12 months away with Gary Lineker and Micah Richards believing that he could be up for a big award later this year.
Villa are not wasting any time in this transfer window. On Friday the club announced that Unai Emery had secured his sixth major signing of the summer as former Villa academy graduate Philogene rejoined the club.
The 22-year-old had a fantastic campaign at Hull City where he won the club’s Young Player of the Season Award.
However, on top of this, the two pundits believe that Philogene could be in line for the Puskas Award later this year for an incredible goal he scored for the Tigers.
Read more: Who is Jaden Philogene? Everything you need to know about Aston Villa’s latest signing.
Jaden Philogene’s sensational goal ‘needs’ to win Puskas Award
While Philogene had a sensational season at Hull City in the last campaign, one feat stands above the rest.
Back in February, the Tigers took on lowly Rotherham at the New York Stadium. The game ended in a 2-1 victory for Philogene’s side but the winger did something magical which went viral throughout the UK.
With Hull 1-0 down with 20 minutes to go, the 22-year-old nutmegged one of the opposition’s defenders before slamming the ball into the net thanks to a Rabona.
The goal was sensational and, despite it having a deflect, it was eventually given to the youngster.
As a result, it caught the eye of both Lineker and Richards who believed that Philogene should win the famous Puskas Award later this year.
“What I want to do is finish with what could be, what definitely, surely must be a Puskas contender for Goal of the Year,” Lineker said on The Rest of Football Podcast. “An ex-Aston Villa man as well, Micah, we sent you the clip of the goal because you hadn’t seen it, it’s from Jaden Philogene who plays for Hull City.
“It’s an extraordinary goal. He nutmegs someone (Rathbone), and then he chops back and then the most audacious Rabona in the top corner. What a goal, eh, Micah?”
“Ahh, it was ridiculous,” Richards then said. “When you showed it to me this morning, I was like, ‘wow’ – that’s what I like, though, a little bit of freedom, a little bit of flair to even try it. The audacity to do that, the confidence to do it is what I liked and the execution was just sublime, what a goal that was. To get a nutmeg, chop and Rabona in one goal, it’s got a chance.
“Puskas? It’s won it, it has to. To get all three, like you said, it’s so difficult to do. It’s controlled, he meant to do it, you know? When someone tries a meg (nutmeg) or a chop and it gets a little bit of a ricochet, but everything was clean and tidy, it was fantastic.”
Read more: Every confirmed Aston Villa signing and departure so far.
The talent of Jaden Philogene is clear for all Aston Villa fans to see
While the signing of Philogene may not have been the most exciting new addition at Villa Park this summer, it is clear that the youngster has plenty of potential.
Since joining the club, Emery has developed a knack for improving youngsters such as Morgan Rogers and turning them into incredible players in the Premier League.
From the talent showcased by Philogene last season, there is no reason why this cannot be replicated.
To score a goal such as that and potentially be in contender for the Puskas Award is sensational and Villa did the right thing in bringing him back to the club.
