Brian Madjo and George Hemmings were the bright spots for Aston Villa in a pre-season game that still carried value despite the result. Madjo, who joined from Metz for £10m in January and does not turn 18 until January next year, scored Villa’s leveller to make it 2-2 after 56 minutes. Hemmings, 19, also scored against Real Sociedad.
Madjo's presence up front
The main reason Madjo stood out was not just the goal. He looked every bit the 6ft 4in handful Villa wanted when they signed him, a forward who can give defenders a different problem from the usual pre-season rotation pieces. That is useful for Emery even before the registration question around Madjo is resolved.
There is also the simple fact that Villa need young players who can contribute while senior options are away or unavailable. Emery was without a group of established names, including Watkins, Ezri Konsa, John McGinn, Victor Lindelof, Emi Martinez and record buy Johan Manzambi, while Amadou Onana’s serious knee injury rules him out until next year.
Hemmings adds another encouraging sign
Hemmings’ goal was not a one-off either. His most recent outing against Real Sociedad drew a 6.3 rating, and he has logged 71 minutes across his last four appearances. That suggests Emery is already using him in controlled spells, rather than simply giving him a cameo for the sake of it.
BBC Sport said there was still plenty to build on from the encounter against the La Liga side, and that feels fair. Villa won 4 of their last 5 matches, so this was not a team short on confidence, and the teenagers still found a way to leave a mark.
The bigger picture is clear enough. Villa’s next listed competitive fixture is the UEFA Super Cup against Paris Saint Germain on 12 August, which leaves Emery a short runway to sort the squad out. The friendly defeat did not tell him everything, but it did show that Madjo and Hemmings are already worth keeping close.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
