In a recent report, Gazzetta dello Sport mentioned that Aston Villa youngster Carney Chukwuemeka wants to join AC Milan this summer. It has been claimed that the Villans’ midfielder has ‘already given his first yes’ to a potential move to Milan in this off-season.
Chukwuemeka’s Impressive Rise At Villa Park
Chukwuemeka deserves a lot of praise for breaking out as a first-team starter at Villa Park but struggled to be consistent with his midfield contributions in the previous campaign. The promising teenager was involved in 18 matches for the Villans last season, securing one assist in the process across multiple competitions.
The 18-year-old saw a lot of his playing opportunities come as a substitute which explains why he averaged 0.6 tackles and 0.5 dribbles per game in Premier League football. At least, he was accurate when distributing possession from midfield after making 81.7% of his attempted passes in the English top-flight (stats via whoscored).
Should Aston Villa Head Coach Steven Gerrard Cut Chukwuemeka Loose This Summer?
Chukwuemeka is a solid tackler of the ball and can complete a few impressive dribbles with the ball from midfield. He can retain possession well in tight spaces but needs to improve his productivity at the centre of the park.
Chukwuemeka mainly operates as a free-flowing, box-to-box midfielder but can even fill in as an attacking midfielder in the opposition half if needed. At 18, the future is quite bright for the Aston Villa whizkid as long as he continues to improve himself with each season.
The English prospect has the potential to become one of the best players in his position someday. However, Chukwuemeka is still quite inexperienced at the highest level and would need more time to prove his worth in top-flight football. Plus, he has got less than 12 months left to run in his Aston Villa contract.
Therefore, Steven Gerrard would have no choice but to cut the talented midfield ace loose this summer rather than risk losing him as a free agent in 2023. The Villans should rather focus on using the money generated from the youngster’s potential sale to bring in a suitable replacement ahead of the new campaign.
