Gerrard may have already found Chukwuemeka replacement at Aston Villa after update - opinion

Talented Aston Villa youngster Carney Chukwuemeka may have played his last game for the club as Steven Gerrard seems ready to put his faith in a different starlet.

The latest indications are that the 18-year-old will not sign a new contract with the Villans and so it looks as though his future will be elsewhere.

Perhaps preparing for that inevitability, Gerrard has given Tim Iroegbunam a chance to impress of late. And so, TIF has decided to take a look at what it could mean for the two players.

According to Italian transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, the youngster could leave this summer when he contract expires. The whole thing feels like a bit of a catch-22: Chukwuemeka isn’t happy because he isn’t playing and so wants to leave, but Gerrard won’t play him until the player commits to a new contract.

As a result though, as Romano explains, clubs in Germany are already planning to take advantage of the situation.

In full he wrote on Twitter: “Carney Chukwuemeka could leave Aston Villa in the summer. His recent lack of game time has put a host of European clubs on alert – with Germany a likely destination as he enters the final year of his contract.

And while Chukwuemeka’s future remain in a kind of purgatory, Iroegbunam has seized his opportunity. Indeed, he was handed his first ever Premier League start in the 2-0 win over Norwich this weekend.

In fact, he has played three times since Chukwuemeka was last seen on the field of play, while a fresh Instagram post from the club’s official account also recently shared a picture of the youngster, with the promising caption: “The first of many Premier League starts.”

Playing 73 minutes in that game, Iroegbunam impressed too. Indeed, according to SofaScore he got a 7.0 match rating,