Aston Villa announce signing as Steven Gerrard 'excited' for teenager's future

Tim Iroegbunam has signed a new contract at Aston Villa after making his first-team breakthrough this season.

The 18-year-old will now become a full-time member of Steven Gerrard's first-team having impressed the Liverpool legend and his backroom team since they took over at Villa Park in November. The midfielder’s deal runs until 2027 and he will be hoping for more opportunities to show what is capable of this campaign.

Iroegbunam made his Premier League debut during Villa's 2-0 win over Brighton at the Amex last month and has been training regularly with Gerrard's senior squad at Bodymoor Heath.

Gerrard has spoken about Iroegbunam having "a fantastic profile for a No.6" - a position that's vital to the way the head coach wants to play at Villa. "He's a long project for us to work at," Gerrard added. "He's still very raw but he's got a lot of attributes that we like.

"I went to watch him for the under-23s in the week (vs Norwich) and he started a little bit slow and, obviously, got sent off at the end but in the middle bit of the game he was outstanding and looked like a Premier League player. He's one I'm excited to keep developing and keep polishing up. He's a great kid, humble, and needs to keep working."