Jores Okore is nearing a return to the first team after completing 90 minutes of football in Villa’s U21 game against West Brom. Okore has been out all summer after having surgery on his knee over the summer. Hopefully Okore can come back soon as Clark and Okore had a fantastic partnership last season.
“I am delighted for Jores. The plan was for him to play 45 minutes but the guy is such a warrior, you have to drag him off the field. No-one was brave enough to drag him off.
“It was fantastic for him – and for the club.
“After the international break, we will get a couple more games into him and then he will be ready to go, I hope.
Meanwhile, Agbonlahor had picked up an injury against Birmingham last week. Sherwood has not mentioned when Agbonlahor could potential be back in contention but it appears as though Villa will slowly ease him into the starting 11.
“Gabby is improving every day.
“We’re giving him some treatment every day and just assessing it and making sure it’s right.
“With the explosive power that Gabby has, the calf isn’t the greatest place to get injured. It’s where you push off and where your power comes from.
Lastly, an update on Gary Gardner who has been one of the most unluckiest Villa players in recent years is also progressing well. Gardner is the furthest away from making a return. Light training has already began for Gary Gardner, although he is yet to play any U21 football as of yet.
“I am really pleased for Gary too. He worked very hard in pre-season and was very unfortunate to get the injury at a poor time for him.
“We will make sure we don’t rush him back. He’s back out training and integrating with the U21s at the moment so they can tailor a session to what he needs. Then we will bring him back accordingly.”
I’d like to see Gardner have a good injury-free run. He has so much potential but constant injuries are affecting his development. I can’t remember another youth player who has had such injury luck in recent years but hopefully Gardner can come back strong and remain injury free for the remainder of the season. We could sure use him in central midfield right now.
Okore will be a slow thing, but he’ll be ready for the tough times that are the winter.
Gabby, well, the slower the better, for me.
Gardner’s the interesting one.
I had such high hopes for him, but suspect he’s finished.
Not because I want him to be.
It’s more that he’s one of those players that is just destined to never reach his true potential, imo.
Shame.
Agree badger forgot all about Gardner tbh
Another one from the academy!
None of our academy really make it to be honest. Even Grealish is a bit lightweight and the only one that was any good Cahill Mon flogged him so he could play Zat Shite!! You couldnt make it up!
Grealish just turned 20 and has been impressive so far. Would say Clark’s made it, no? Being at Villa since he was 11 after all. Should be captain as well.
Clarke is hit and miss he will ever be more than an average def at best
He’s a solid Premier League CB and that’s basically what we’re going to get. Currently our best one, if that says anything, probably doesn’t. But a definite hit compared to what most clubs get from their youth.
I guess but not in the same league as Stones. Yet again Only a matter of time before he goes to Chelski
Stones has only been at Everton for 2 years though, so they didn’t produce him, Barnsley did. Everton helped him grow obviously. We produced Clark, have developed him for 15 years. Big difference. But no, he’s no Stones, but a quality CB like Clark that we didn’t have to buy/replace goes a long way.
Some interesting news. Richardson, Cole, Senderos and N’Zogbia could all go on loan to the Championship, while we’ve sent scouts to watch Fiorentina’s Badelj, Also scouted Oğuzhan Özyakup and Gökhan Töre
Can anyone enlighten me as to why Gardner has been touted as this ‘great prospect’ for the last few years?
That’s a straight question by the way – I’ve never wathched him at youth level and haven’t ever really noticed him during his rare ‘senior’ appearences anywhere.
I wondered that myself people raving as if he’s the new Messi lol
Gardner has that attacking mid threat that we haven’t had in years and years. Plus people hate Craig Gardner for leaving/being a Blues fan so they want Gary to be better.
Remember the Moore brothers world class in reserves we all thought they’d do well especially the younger one. Yet again Mon hardly did anything to help the cause tbh
Oohah – yes, I well remember the Moore brothers.
They were going to set the premier league alight as soon as they got a run in the first team…
There alyways seem to be some real stand-out players in almost any youth team, but they rarely make any kind of sustained impact once they hit their 20’s
Do true Ardent. I remember watching them destroy Everton in youth cup where a certain wayne Rooney was playing even though we won over 2 legs you could see a mile away Rooney was different class.
Thanks Andrew, but what has he done to show whether he’s really a good prospect, let alone some of the more extreme hopes that have been pinned on him over the last coule of years?
Maybe the reality is that we as supporters are clinging onto the hope that we will find the next Beckham (Messi and Ronaldo being unlikely 🙂 ) who will single handed drag us from the obscurity we have suffered for so many years – notwithstanding a couple of MON years when we finished sixth.
Of course reality is completely different and our academy is no better than any other and may possibly be worse than our closest competitors!
Arguably one of the best to come from the academy in recent years is Cahill and what did MON do ……………
I sometimes wonder why I continue to support Villa but then there is no other team whatever happens. VTID
Whenever I look at any England squad [at any time since – say- the mid 90’s] the lack of real quality is very noticeable, and suggests that none of the academies run by the PL clubs have been much use in producing more than a couple of ‘good’ players in any generation.
If those academies had been productive, we wouldn’t be seeing the huge number of foreign players being bought during each transfer window, and England would have three or four decent players competing for each place in the national team.
In reality, England now seem to be a bit like Scotland or Wales were back in the 70’s and 80’s: one or two key very good players in a largely mediocre squad, and panic whenever they need to find any replacements for injuries or out-of-form ‘stars’.
In that sense, I don’t think Villa’s academy is much different to the others – pretty poor return for the amounts that are said to have been spent on all of these kids.
True but there have been some good ones come through look at Berkeky and Stones for Everton, Walcott, Cahill, Sterling, Sturridge so not impossible but teams like Chelski especially are only interested in the finished product. Exactly how many youth players has mourinho ever developed and bought thru the ranks. Nil that’s how many says it all.
Less said about MON and him selling Cahill the better. Problem is if in the unlikely event we produced the next Messi or Rooney etc we never hang on to them anyway. As soon as city etc come knocking that’s it so the whole youth thing is pointless. Look at West Ham classic example Rio, Tevez, Mascharino, Lampard, Cole, Parker, Redknapp etc imagine if they had kept that nucleus together they would of had a golden generation like Utd. Instead they just sold them took the money and run. Exactly what we would do. Bear in mind Lerner has only let us have a nett £5m spend this season.
But we’re a bigger club than West Ham 🙂
Can’t argue with what you say OoHAh
Lol