Brian Madjo has been backed to become a future England star as the Villa striker targets a Premier League bow against Brentford.
The 17-year-old is poised to be involved for the first time in the league after recovering from the muscle injury which forced him to miss the opening month of the season.
Madjo, who joined from Metz for £10million in January, was finally given clearance to play for Villa in July after the club successfully appealed to the court of arbitration for sport, overturning a Fifa block on his registration.He then announced himself on the European stage by scoring against Paris Saint-Germain in August’s Super Cup but has since experienced frustration with injury.
Former Villa forward Dean Saunders is among those who believe the London-born ace is set for a big future.
He told BetSelect.co.uk: “I really like the look of Brian Madjo. You wouldn’t want to play against him if you were a centre-back!
“Thomas Tuchel needs to give him a cap as soon as possible, before another nation snaps him up.”
Madjo is likely to be on the bench against the Bees, with summer signing Nicolas Jackson continuing to lead the line for Unai Emery’s men.
The Senegal international, who joined from Chelsea for an initial £47.5m in August, netted his first league goal in the 3-2 win at Tottenham prior to the international break.
Saunders, who scored 50 goals for Villa in a three-year spell between 1992 and 1995, said: “I like Nicolas Jackson. I like his movement. The only question is whether he has that killer instinct in front of goal.
“As a striker, when you go through on goal, a clear picture comes into your head and you immediately know how you need to finish the chance.
“If you have a blur in that moment, you’re in trouble. I think Jackson sometimes has that blur.”
Brentford’s visit is the first of nine matches in 29 days for Emery’s team, who resume their Champions League campaign when they host Fenerbahce next Wednesday.