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Aston Villa signed little known teenage defender Yeimar Mosquera last summer - and he could be in a position to hit the ground running next season after finally landing at Bodymoor Heath. Mosquera, 19, was signed by Villa from Orsomarso in his native Colombia and was immediately sent to Villa's associate club Real Union in Spain.
Mosquera made seven appearances for Union, the club very close to Unai Emery's heart, in the first half of this season, contributing to two clean sheets in that time, and he had established himself in the starting XI by the turn of the year before he left to represent Colombia under 20s at the South American U20 Championships.
There, he helped Colombia to five wins in eight appearances, and three more clean sheets, but now it appears as though he is back in England and ready to work with Villa for the first time, as was mooted towards the end of the January transfer window.
Mosquera's agent Socrates Valencia claimed to local press that his client could end up back at Villa: “That is what is about to happen. We are focused on him continuing his good work, which he is doing at the Sudamericano. What is expected is that he can continue to grow, and that Aston Villa can define Yeimar’s future in the coming days.
“I have the good fortune to know him when he was 12 years old, he arrived at our school in the city of Pereira. Full of talent and capabilities and his mentality, since he arrived, we knew he was a boy who competed to win.”
Reports in Colombia now state that Mosquera now indeed has returned to Birmingham having obtained a work permit, which gives Villa the green light to continue working with him and helping to develop Mosquera with a view to involving him in the first team in time.
It's claimed that, while Mosquera joined Villa's academy initially and his salary reflects that current status, he will train with the first team when Emery sees fit so he can assess his capabilities and prepare him for, what is anticipated in due course, a first-team look-in.
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