Philogene-Bidace may not join Villa first-team

Jaden Philogene-Bidace looks to have a bright future at Aston Villa after rising through the youth ranks to the first-team, but his short-term loan spell at Stoke City has started to unravel after a good start. The 20-year-old has made 11 appearances in all competitions for Stoke, amassing 537 minutes of football and scoring just one goal.

Philogene-Bidace joined the Potters in January and had two substitute appearances before making five consecutive starts. He then picking up a groin injury in late-February and has only started one Championship game for City since. Unsurprisingly, the 20-year-old’s performances have started to waver as a result.

Peter Smith of StokeonTrentLive gave Philogene-Bidace a player rating of 5/10 in Stoke’s 2-1 defeat to Luton Town, 5/10 in the 1-0 defeat to Blackpool, 6/10 in City’s 1-1 draw with Barnsley, 7/10 in the 1-0 win over Blackburn Rovers and 5/10 in Stoke’s 3-1 defeat to Middlesbrough.

The 20-year-old is regarded highly at Villa, scoring nine goals in 15 games for the U18s and having a hand in 17 goals from 27 games for the U23s, but he might not be ready for the first-team just yet. Until he’s consistently shining in the Championship, the step up to the Premier League might be too much.

Another season out on loan could do Philogene-Bidace well next season, as Philippe Coutinho, Emiliano Buendia, Leon Bailey and Bertrand Traore currently stand his way of getting opportunities.

In other news, Aston Villa taking £38.6m hit for replacing Matt Targett with Lucas Digne