He's outscoring Watkins: Aston Villa could have Rashford 2.0 out on loan

Aston Villa‘s inconsistent Premier League form continues.

On Saturday, the Claret and Blue Army were held to a frustrating 1-1 draw by bottom three dwellers Ipswich, despite the fact the Tractor Boys were reduced to ten men on the cusp of half time; Axel Tuanzebe dismissed against his former club.

That means Unai Emery‘s team have failed to win any of their last four in the Premier League, slipping down to ninth, thereby finding themselves below the European positions, ahead of Wednesday’s mouthwatering meeting with current runaway league leaders Liverpool at Villa Park.

Before that clash, it’s time to analyse the Villans’ current attacking options, assessing how a youngster, currently out on loan, could make a big impact.

Aston Villa’s attacking options

Villa’s attacking options saw a major overhaul during the January transfer window, most notably the fact that Jhon Durán departed, joining Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr for a reported fee of £71m.

Meanwhile, despite interest from Arsenal, Ollie Watkins remained a Villa player, later joined by Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio, the duo arriving on loan from Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain respectively, while £23m was spent to bring in Donyell Malen from Borussia Dortmund.

Rashford, in particular, has caught the eye during his two substitute appearances so far, creating more ‘big chances’ last weekend than any other Premier League player, despite only being introduced at halftime.

So, with the arriving trio and Watkins, as well as Jacob Ramsey, Leon Bailey and Morgan Rogers, who Jonathan Wilson of the Guardian described as an ‘incredible talent’, Emery certainly has some talented attackers at his disposal.

However, could the best of the lot currently be out on loan, starring in the EFL, ready to shine in the Villa first team in the near future?

Aston Villa’s future superstar

Back in January, after being recalled from his loan spell at Stockport County, Lyall Thomas and Anthony Joseph of Sky Sports reported that Emery was planning to ‘assess’ youngster Louie Barry in training, before making a concrete decision over his future.

Well, he was then loaned out again, this time to Hull City, but this does not mean the young forward doesn’t have a future at Villa Park.

Still only 21-years-old, Barry has already had a noteworthy career. He first made headlines by joining Barcelona’s fabled la Masia academy from West Bromwich Albion in 2019, but returned to England a year later, signing for Villa for a reported £880k.

He was then in the spotlight again in January 2021; with the entire Villa first team and coaching staff in isolation following a Covid-19 outbreak, the U23s were tasked with facing Premier League champions Liverpool in an FA Cup tie, with Barry equalising for the youngsters on the cusp of half time, an amazing moment, even if the Reds ultimately prevailed 4-1 in the end.

Barry has subsequently been sent out on multiple loans by Villa, appearing for Ipswich, Swindon, Milton Keynes, Salford and Stockport, starring for the Hatters earlier this season, scoring 15 goals in just 24 appearances, named EFL League One player of the month in both August and November, as Dave Challinor’s side chase back-to-back promotions.

He’s been so impressive that Barry was recalled from his loan spell at Edgeley, his final appearance for Stockport coming against Villa’s fierce rivals Birmingham City on New Year’s Day, this not a coincidence, waving farewell following a 1-1 draw.

Daniel Storey of the i Paper noted that he was Barcelona’s ‘first English prodigy’, with Barry himself stating “I loved my time in Barcelona… but I decided to come back close to home [when] we had got wind that Covid-19 might be a big thing.”

He’s yet to get off the mark for the Tigers, making three appearances for Hull to date, including in Rubén Sellés’ starting lineup for the very first time against Norwich on Saturday.

So, let’s see how he compares to two of Villa’s most high-profile current forwards, namely Watkins and Rashford.

As the table outlines, Barry shares some of the best attributes with both Watkins and Rashford, while mirroring the latter in his ability to operate off the left flank or in a more central role.

Like Watkins – who has netted 12 times – he is a clinical finisher, scoring 16 goals so far this season, while over 50% of his shots hit the target, currently ranked first in EFL League One this season for shots on target per-90 (1.86), despite having not played in that division since 1 January.

Meantime, he is also a supreme dribbler, similar to prime Rashford, having been successful with 50% of his take-ons, albeit his assists and shot-creating action statistics are significantly lagging behind the other two.

Nevertheless, all the signs are there that Barry – who was hailed for having “incredible” composure by Declan Rice – will be a top-class forward in the future, so he is one that Villa supporters should remain excited about.

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