Steven Gerrard makes 'guaranteed' promise about Tim Iroegbunam and Carney Chukwuemeka

Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard has made a 'strong' prediction for young midfielder Tim Iroegbunam ahead of the clash with Burnley this weekend.

Iroegbunam, 18, made his first Premier League start in the 2-0 victory against Norwich City where he recorded 26 touches, an 82.4% pass accuracy, four duels won, three tackles and two interceptions. It was a confident and steady performance after being thrust into the view of a packed out Villa Park crowd eager to see their first win since 5th March.

The young defensive midfielder could be in line to start successive games this weekend as Gerrard prepares his squad to face Burnley on Saturday (3pm kick off). Speaking ahead of the fixture, Gerrard made a prediction regarding Iroegbunam's career at the top level of English football. He said: "He’s still learning his way, still very young and raw, but I’m really excited to work with him moving forward. We believe we can develop him, polish him up and shape him into a strong Premier League player.

“I’m not surprised that, again, the fans are excited about this one. We talk about Carney, JJ and Tim and there’s more brewing in the background.

“Myself and my staff want to give opportunities here at Aston Villa; we want to give pathways to young talent and we really believe in our academy. We’ve got some fantastic staff who are working really hard to move these players along the conveyor belt.

“Age, for us, is just a number. If they’re good enough and they deserve a chance, and they out-train senior peers within the group, they’ll be guaranteed opportunities here.”