Aston Villa youngster is beginning to emerge as the modern-day Grealish

Aston Villa can be forgiven their slow start to the season, but improvements will be expected of Unai Emery‘s side when the Premier League action picks up once again.

We’re almost there. This has been an interminable international break (and we’re only one month away from the next one), but the packed schedule ahead of the Villans will require the wider squad to chip in, the new signings to come together and play to the manager’s tune.

Now that Morgan Rogers has been sold to Chelsea for £117m, Ollie Watkins gone too, there’s little question that the Villa need a new talisman – someone to spearhead the new chapter in the Midlands.

The next Jack Grealish, perhaps?

What made Jack Grealish so special at Aston Villa

Rogers and Watkins achieved more, but would it be fair to argue that Grealish remains a more iconic part of modern Aston Villa history?

From being punched on the pitch to guiding his boyhood club back up from the murkiness of the Championship to departing as a superstar in 2021, signing for Manchester City in a record-breaking £100m deal, Grealish has become one of the most prominent faces in the Premier League.

He won the treble under Pe Guardiola, has found a new home with Everton on Merseyside, but it would be hards to argue against Dean Smith’s Villa in 2020/21 being the squad who contained the apex version of Grealish.

The England playmaker, now 31, was unstoppable that year, posting six goals and ten assists across 26 Premier League games. He created 3.2 chances and won 8.9 duels per game. He completed 64% of his frequent dribbles. A phenomenon, touching ground untrodden by the lion’s share of attacking midfielders to have graced the division.

Rogers came close to hitting that same level, but not quite, even if his achievements outweight those of Grealish at Villa Park.

However, Emery may have found a prospect who can outdo Grealish’s legacy.

Aston Villa have struck gold on the new Grealish

There was talk of bringing Grealish back home this summer after Rogers jumped ship. It would have been romantic, but it would have blocked the pathway of George Hemmings, quickly becoming a mainstay in this revamped Aston Villa team.

Reuters/Jason Cairnduff

It’s quite impressive that Emery has placed so much faith in the youngster. He might not have Rogers’ same sharpness, but there is undeniable quality coursing through this one, and he could grow into a bona fide superstar.

Hemmings joined Aston Villa

Not only has Hemmings started every game this season, but he also plays with a fearlessness that is clearly a natural part of his skillset. His potency in front of goal needs work, but that will come – and he showed when assisting Tammy Abraham during a win over Coventry City in the Carabao Cup that he has elite technical ability, budding but burgeoning.

We’re not the only ones raving about him. Recently, CIES Football Observatory released a list illustrating the world’s most valuable youngsters right now. Ibrahim Mbaye leads the way at £63m, but Villa spent £43m to bring the teenager over from Paris Saint-Germain.

Hemmings, conversely, arrived as a youngster from Nottingham Forest, and he is already worth £43m, with his early-season performances sure to see that market value balloon even further.

Like Grealish before him, Hemmings has the chance to become a superstar at Villa Park having technically not cost the club a transfer fee. He is already cementing himself as one of the most exciting up-and-coming wingers in Europe, and he’s scarcely played senior football.

Imagine how good he might be this time next year. He is keeping Alejandro Garnacho out of the team, and is on his way toward becoming one of the most important members of a new-look outfit whose expensive summer window may have failed to find a bigger talent than him.