On deadline day, Sport Witness covered Aston Villa player Samuel Iling-Junior’s loan move to Pisa. This came after he spent the first half of the season on loan at West Bromwich Albion.
In the Championship, the winger played 24 times and scored one goal. While he didn’t contribute to too many goals, the Englishman was a regular.
He started each of the Baggies’ last four games before a surprise departure. It was the first time in a while that he’d got regular minutes.
Now, it seems like the decision to leave Aston Villa on another loan is paying off.
Praise for the Aston Villa player
Iling-Junior made his debut for Pisa against AC Milan on Friday. He came off the bench to play 33 minutes and made a real impact.
This was noted by La Nazione, who saw some ‘very positive things’ from the attacker. Despite not starting, he was one of the bright spots in a 2-1 defeat, as Pisa nearly pulled off a draw in the game.
Coincidentally, his Pisa debut came against Max Allegri, who had given Iling-Junior his debut during his time at Juventus.
Against the Rossoneri, he showed his burst of pace and operated in tight spaces reliably. This helped Pisa catch Milan off-guard during counter-attacks.
There is belief that manager Oscar Hiljemark can hand the 22-year-old a start against Fiorentina.
Pisa is a big chance for Iling-Junior
Last season, the winger spent two separate loans at Middlesbrough and Bologna. For the Serie A side, he played only 117 minutes in the league. In the Championship, he featured 16 times but was never consistent.
That was also the case at West Brom earlier this season, and is why Pisa is a big opportunity for Iling-Junior to really prove himself.
Expectations will be lower than the Bologna spell, especially since Pisa are battling survival. If he comes up with important contributions in a situation like that, his stock will naturally grow.
This would Aston Villa earn a bigger fee from a future sale.