Aston Villa winger Samuel Iling-Junior is reportedly considering the option of going out on loan this season after arriving at the club earlier this summer.
The 20-year-old was signed from Juventus on July 1, as he arrived as part of multiple dealings between the two clubs which saw Douglas Luiz move to Turin, while Enzo Barrenechea also joined us.
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Having featured consistently in pre-season, Iling-Junior had the opportunity to make an early impression as he battles for a spot in Unai Emery’s side, but he was left out of the matchday squad for our opening weekend win over West Ham Utd in the Premier League this past Saturday.
Such is the competition and level of depth in the squad now, the expectation is that there will be further exits before the transfer deadline, and according to The Athletic, Iling-Junior could move out on loan as he is said to be exploring potential options for a temporary switch.
It would arguably make sense for both parties, as the talented youngster would get the opportunity to play more regularly to improve and develop his game, and the expectation is that he won’t get that at Villa this season with Jacob Ramsey, Morgan Rogers, Emiliano Buendia, Leon Bailey and others ahead of him in the pecking order for spots in the final third.
Further, with Ian Maatsen, Lucas Digne and Alex Moreno still currently at the club, Iling-Junior’s versatility won’t likely help him carve out a role at left-back either.
From a Villa perspective, while he could do a job for us in domestic cup competitions and as a depth option if we suffer injuries, that limited role isn’t going to help him develop into a top talent, and so it would be a smart move to loan him out now and find the best possible destination for him to showcase his ability.
Time will tell if Barrenechea follows a similar path or not, but perhaps he’ll be kept in the squad until January at least before a possible loan switch too, as we wait for Boubacar Kamara to return from injury.
Emery, Monchi and the rest of their staff will no doubt closely analyse all options, and we’ll certainly still have a strong depth chart when the window closes.