Three Premier League academy prospects Stockport County could look at to replace Louie Barry | OneFootball

Stockport County loanee Louie Barry suffered a hamstring injury in October, which has led some to fear the Aston Villa forward could be recalled to assess further options when the opportunity arises in January.

Barry joined the Hatters on a season-long loan from Villa in the summer, following a string of loan deals where the young forward had struggled to make a sustained impact.

However, the former Barcelona youth prospect soon made his presence known at Edgeley Park, notching nine goals and two assists in 17 appearances.

Striking up a fearsome partnership with fellow pacey forward Tanto Olaofe in the front line, Barry switched between operating as a winger, wide forward and striker, using his speed, balance and tight dribbling skills to beat players.

Due to how well the 20-year-old was progressing in SK3, there were already fears among fans that his parent club may look to recall him and place him higher up the pyramid.

Those fears were only worsened when Barry suffered a serious hamstring injury, the projection being that he would spend four months away from the club whilst recovering.

As revealed by Sam Byrne of the Manchester Evening News, the earliest recall point in the loan deal is January, meaning a decision is still yet to be made regarding the rest of the young forward's season.

Here, we take a look at some Premier League academy prospects with similar profiles to Barry who could make an ideal replacement should the Aston Villa forward be recalled in the coming weeks...

Mateo Mejia

The young Colombian forward joined Manchester United from Real Zaragoza in 2019 and has since predominately played for the Under 21s at Carrington.

Mejia can operate in wide attacking areas as well as playing more centrally, with speed and dribbling into the box a key feature in his game.

Significantly, as his highlight reel shows, the 20-year-old commonly rushes to the byline in search of simple cutbacks to a teammate centrally, much in the mould of Barry, which also often draws penalties from defenders wrong-sided by the fast-paced movement.

It also would not be the forward's first appearance at Edgeley Park, as he was part of the United U21 starting line-up that faced County in the EFL Trophy.

In all competitions this season, Mejia has appeared 12 times, netting three goals and five assists.

Aged 20 and without senior experience, United could view it as the right time for a loan for Mejia.

One potential snag could be the Hatters' loan history with the Reds, having taken Will Fish from the side whilst still in the National League and only playing him twice before he was recalled.

Rory Wilson

One club that County does have a good record with in the loan market is Barry's own parent club, Aston Villa. Having been the club to seemingly unlock the potential of the 20-year-old, the Hatters also gave significant senior experience to former Villa youth prospect Arjan Raikhy.

If Barry were to return to his parent club, it could be worth assessing that same academy set up for a replacement, and one eye-catching player is Wilson.

Admittedly, he is of a different profile to Barry, appearing to be a more classic centre-forward.

The Scotland youth international has impressed in his second season in the Villa academy, scoring 15 goals and claiming one assist in 10 games in the U18 Premier League.

The 17-year-old will celebrate his 18th birthday in January and, as he seems to be breaking into the Under 21s currently, his club may want to explore the possibility of getting the young striker some senior experience.

Dylan Stephenson

With sources telling Football Insider that Newcastle United have terminated the loan deal for attacking midfielder Joe White at Crewe Alexandra, in order for him to join County in January, the Hatters could make further use of this connection to find their Barry replacement.

Stephenson is at the upper age limit for academy football at the age of 21 and has so far only played 12 games at a senior level.

The English forward has played most of his football as a striker this season, but has also played off the right side, a mix likely to see him pop up in similar positions to Barry from wide areas.

He would arrive as the player with the most senior experience of the three and although his stats from his time at Hamilton are impressive for his first steps into senior football, County would undoubtedly back themselves to build on that given how they have managed to play a big part in Barry's development.