Forget Trezeguet: Villa boss Dean Smith should unleash Jaden Philogene-Bidace | OneFootball

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Football FanCast

·13 April 2021

Forget Trezeguet: Villa boss Dean Smith should unleash Jaden Philogene-Bidace

Article image:Forget Trezeguet: Villa boss Dean Smith should unleash Jaden Philogene-Bidace

After falling to a last-gasp 2-1 defeat to Liverpool at the weekend, Aston Villa have suffered yet another blow from their Premier League clash at Anfield.

Trezeguet was forced off deep into the second-half at Anfield, and Dean Smith was quick to acknowledge that things didn’t look good for the Egypt international.


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He said after the match: “He tried to carry on but, unfortunately, didn’t feel great so had to come off and was naturally upset and worried at what extent the injury is but only time will tell us.”

Article image:Forget Trezeguet: Villa boss Dean Smith should unleash Jaden Philogene-Bidace

And now, Villa have confirmed that Trezeguet “will now have an operation before starting his rehabilitation”, with Sky Sports revealing that the winger is likely to miss the rest of the season because of it.

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With the Egyptian out, Smith will no doubt be looking to the likes of Anwar El Ghazi and Bertrand Traore in particular to make sure Trezeguet’s absence isn’t too keenly felt.

But if the Villa boss is looking for a far more exciting option to unleash on the Premier League, then he absolutely has to look at giving a chance to 19-year-old academy starlet, Jaden Philogene-Bidace.

The teenager has been in fine form this season for the club’s U23s, scoring five goals in just 13 games at Premier League 2 level, including providing another three assists too.

That’s not to mention the superb hat-trick he scored on his England U19 debut back in November.

Article image:Forget Trezeguet: Villa boss Dean Smith should unleash Jaden Philogene-Bidace

His former coach, Ahmed Abdulla, meanwhile, raved about his ability as an almost old-fashioned winger, and judging by his comments, someone who seems perfectly ready to grab his chance in the top-flight.

He said: “He can come inside or go on the outside. The model winger.

“He hugs the touchline and can beat his man. (He’s) Very confident and very light on his feet and skips past tackles, not one of them that gets hit and goes down. He bounces off tackles. He’s very strong and outstanding in one-v-ones.”

The likes of El Ghazi and Traore have been Smith’s tried-and-trusted options in the top-flight, but the introduction of Philogene-Bidace would go a long way to adding that extra bit of dynamism and unpredictability about Villa going forward.

The 19-year-old’s ability to go on both sides of the full-back makes him a very dangerous customer for opposition defences and will leave them guessing all the time, making him that much more difficult to mark.

Now that Trezeguet is confirmed to be out, Smith must seriously take a look at one of the club’s brightest young talents.

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