Aston Villa have confirmed that youngster Kadan Young has put pen to paper on his first professional contract with the club.
As per the club’s official statement, Young has officially signed his first pro Villa deal, although no further details of the agreement have been announced at this stage.
READ MORE: How Villa could line up vs Southampton: Key double fitness boost for Emery
Nevertheless, the 17-year-old has continued to impress at youth level for us, scoring one goal and providing two assists in three U18 Premier League appearances this season, while also moving up to U21s level too as he looks to step up and showcase his ability through the age groups.
Unai Emery also drafted him into the senior squad during the World Cup break and has included him on the bench in recent games, and so it’s fair to say that although we were perhaps short of numbers at the time, Young has done enough to catch the eye of the Villa boss.
“A very good talent, but he’s so young. I am like a father to him. I know the academy is very good here. They have very good coaches,” Emery said of Young earlier this month, according to BirminghamLive. “Kadan is training with us every day but it is difficult to give him the responsibility on the pitch. I think it is good that he can stay with us, meetings, training every day, watching the match with us.
“He can play, but to give him the responsibility on the pitch I prefer to do it when he will be in the best mentality, or after more days with us and after sharing more time with us knowing how we can use his characteristics on the pitch.”
Academy Manager Mark Harrison was unsurprisingly delighted with the news, as per the statement from the club above, and he’ll no doubt hope to see Young continue his development and progression on his way to hopefully making a breakthrough at senior level in the future.
Villa have seen a talented crop of youngsters come through in recent years, many of whom are currently out on loan or have recently been on loan to gain experience and develop their game.
In turn, it’s hoped that as many of them as possible can make that all-important breakthrough at senior level in a Villa shirt, and Emery will undoubtedly be monitoring their progression closely to judge whether or not they can make an important impact for him.
Young is the latest to join that list, and while he’s currently learning and improving within the club, time will tell if there is a decision to be made on whether or not a loan stint elsewhere would be beneficial for him too.