Aston Villa have had the pleasure of bringing through a host of talented young players through their excellent academy system over the years.
The likes of Gary Cahill, Gareth Barry, and Jack Grealish came through the youth set-up at Villa Park while current first-team star Jacob Ramsey is a product of the academy.
One gem who the club may have mixed feelings over, however, is right winger Marc Albrighton as the bulk of his success has come since departing the Villans.
The Englishman made his first-team debut in the 2008/09 campaign and went on to play 102 matches in all competitions for the club – scoring nine goals and assisting 19.
His best season for Villa came in 2010/11 as the wizard produced five goals and eight assists in 29 Premier League appearances. The now 33-year-old showcased his ability to deliver goals and assists from out wide but was unable to keep up those high levels in the subsequent years – scoring just twice in the following three league seasons.
This led to the club, managed by Paul Lambert at the time, deciding to release him on a free transfer in the summer of 2014 – 16 years after the dynamo joined the team’s academy set-up.
Where is Marc Albrighton now?
Albrighton is currently on loan at West Brom in the Championship but his spell in the second tier comes after an incredibly successful period as a regular for Leicester at the top level.
The Foxes snapped him up for nothing in the summer of 2014 after his exit from Villa Park and that turned out to be a sensational piece of business by them.
He managed two goals and three assists in 18 top-flight outings during his debut campaign with Leicester and helped them to avoid relegation from the top flight.
His most iconic season with them, though, was the following year in 2015/16 as the 5 foot 9 attacker played in all 38 of their matches and contributed with two goals and seven assists to help them win the Premier League title.
It was a stupendous achievement for both Leicester and Albrighton and the English midfielder was a huge part of the side that managed it – starting 34 of the 38 fixtures. He averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.95 and created a whopping 11 ‘big chances’ for his teammates, which shows that the gem consistently delivered good performances and was a creative force for his side.
Albrighton also won the FA Cup in 2021 and played in five of their matches during the run to the final, including the showpiece at Wembley, where Youri Tielemans’ goal was enough to beat Chelsea.
The now-veteran, who journalist John Bennett once hailed as “underrated“, left Villa and ended up winning a Premier League title, the FA Cup, and featured in nine Champions League matches.
So, whilst the club may see a young player coming through the ranks and playing over 100 games for the first team as a success, the Villans had a nightmare in allowing the forward to leave when he did.
Indeed, based on his outstanding time at Leicester. the maestro could have had much more to contribute on the pitch.
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