1. Jack Grealish
BIG THINGS HAVE been expected of Jack Grealish at Aston Villa for some time.
The Birmingham-born winger earned plenty of plaudits last season as Villa lifted the NextGen Series trophy — an international U19 tournament aimed at giving youth players experience in Europe.
This season, the 18-year-old has been sent out on loan to Notts County, where assistant manager Mick Jones compared him to Chris Waddle after a superb debut back in September.
Technically, the winger, who has turned down the chance to represent England, is extremely gifted and deserved his goal for Ireland’s U21s in their 5-2 win over the Faroe Islands last week after an excellent performance.
2. Shane Duffy
At 21, Shane Duffy is the most experienced member of Noel King’s side and captain to the team. The Derry defender has also been named in a couple of senior squads but has yet to be given the chance to make his debut.
Having found it difficult to break into Everton’s first team, Duffy is currently impressing out on loan in the Championship with Yeovil Town where he has made seven appearances for The Glovers this season.
Long term, giving Duffy experience could be more beneficial to Martin O’Neill than continuing with some of the current defensive options.
3. Samir Carruthers
Aston Villa boss Paul Lambert has put faith in youth since taking over and Samir Carruthers, a club mate of Jack Grealish,will be hoping to break into the team over the next year or so.
The 20-year-old captained the victorious NexGen side and got a couple of run-outs with the first team in pre-season before being farmed out to MK Dons.
A versatile player who can play in central midfield, on the wing or as a second striker, London-born Carruthers, eligible to line out for Ireland, England and Morocco, is highly-rated by King and was also on the scoresheet against the Faroes.
(Skip to 0:56 to see his first goal for MK Dons)
YouTube credit: Bristol City FC Official
