Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has enjoyed an unprecedented opportunity to work with his squad without any competitive matches midway through the season.
The Spaniard replaced Steven Gerrard in the dugout and has now had the chance to evaluate the team ahead of the January transfer window.
Whilst the head coach may want to dip into the market to improve his squad heading into the second half of the Premier League campaign, Emery could save the club millions by using this break to unearth another gem from the academy set-up.
One player who appears to be on his way to breaking into the first team is talented central midfielder Arjan Raikhy, as he has been involved with the senior squad in Dubai.
The gem caught the eye after coming off the bench in the recent 2-2 draw with Brighton as he picked up an assist for Lewis Dunk’s own goal – playing the ball into the box after being played into the channel by Douglas Luiz.
His cameo was impressive enough to convince Emery to name him in the starting XI for the friendly with Chelsea, which Villa went on to win 1-0 on Sunday.
The 20-year-old talent could develop into being the manager’s own version of Barcelona and Spain legend Sergio Busquets, who the former Villarreal coach will know well from his time in his home country.
Raikhy, who journalist Elliott Jackson once dubbed “superb“, previously explained what type of midfielder he is, saying: “I can play as a number six, eight or number 10. I’m a ball player, I like to link up play and create chances.
“I can also do the other side of the game, I can make interceptions, track back and win the ball back.
The youngster added: “He (Steven Gerrard) was an inspiration growing up. Sergio Busquets was also one of my favourite players, I love watching him and I did growing up. He’s one of my favourite players.”
These comments suggest that Raikhy could have a similar style to the Spanish icon, who has played 696 times for Barcelona and won the Champions League on three occasions.
The Villa midfielder has played 12 times for the club at youth level this season but did play nine matches on loan at Grimsby last term as he helped them to win promotion to League Two, via the National League play-offs.
He made 2.7 tackles and interceptions per game and completed 88% of his attempted passes in three EFL Trophy matches earlier this year. This suggests that he could be similar to Busquets in the sense that he is an adept technician who rarely gives the ball away whilst also winning possession back for his side on a regular basis.
Raikhy has clearly impressed Emery enough to earn a chance with the first team in Dubai and the Spaniard must now unleash the talent in the Premier League in the coming months in the hope of him developing into Villa’s own version of the Barcelona legend.
from FootballFanCast.com https://ift.tt/vOxlQBA
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