OPINION
Dean Smith is known for his ability to work with younger players and hopefully Aston Villa fans will see a rise in the number of youth products given a chance to shine in the first team.
One player that has more potential than most others at Villa Park is Andre Green, who is currently out on loan at Portsmouth in League One.
Unfortunately, Green’s time at Fratton Park has been a bit of a non-starter so far with him ruled out until the end of the month through injury, but once he is back to full fitness, there’s no doubt that he will be back into Pompey’s first team.
However there should not be much chance for Green to make an impact on the south coast because Smith must tear up his loan contract in January and welcome him back into his newly-acquired squad at Villa Park.
Smith can transform Green into a key player in January by playing the highly-rated winger ahead of the likes of Albert Adomah, who may as well be sold in the New Year, and Anwar El Ghazi, who has not shown a lot of promise since joining on loan.
It would be better for Smith to develop his own Villa players rather than play the likes of El Ghazi and Yannick Bolasie, who may well return to their parent clubs next summer and never play for the Villains again.
It makes a lot of sense to start with Green in a bid to develop top young players again at Villa Park and Smith must get him back in the West Midlands in January.