Noel Whelan warns Steven Gerrard not to ignore ‘incredible’ young players

Aston Villa have a conveyor belt of young talented players at their disposal and Steven Gerrard hasn’t been shy about giving them first-team exposure.

He’s given Premier League playing time to 18-year-old Carney Chukwuemeka and 18-year-old Tim Iroegbunam this season while naming nine teenagers in various matchday squads, so there’s definitely a pathway to senior football for academy graduates.

But with Villa having lucrative resources to spend big in the transfer market while having a number of weak areas in need of strengthening, Noel Whelan warned Gerrard not to stifle the development of Villa’s young players. He says the 41-year-old must refrain from signing too many big names, as they’ll take the spot of hot prospects.

He told Football Insider: “They’ve got some really incredible young talents coming through. It’s so important to have these young players involved. Aston Villa have always been a team to have that pathway.” A whopping 16 players under the age of 21 have made matchday squads in all competitions, so Villa aren’t shy about promotion their own talent.

Whelan added: “Steven Gerrard will be well aware of how important it is to have players like Jacob Ramsey coming through. He came through the system at Liverpool himself. The last thing you want is to close up those pathways by making too many big signings.”

Ramsey has been a real success story for Villa, making 57 appearances in the first-team before turning 21. There’s a lot of excitement about Carney Chukwuemeka, Cameron Archer and Jaden Philogene-Bidace too, so next season could see Gerrard with a lot of promising talent to choose from. He’d be wise to look over all his players before taking the transfer market to plug gaps.

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