Former Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie has told This Is Futbol in an exclusive interview that the Villans are trying to improve Louie Barry’s strength before fully thrusting him into the first team.
Barry stole the headlines back in January when he scored on his senior debut for the club against Liverpool at the age of just 17.
The youthful Villa side went on to lose the FA Cup third-round clash 4-1, but it is a match that Barry is unlikely to forget.
Would you like to see Villa try and sign Lingard this summer?
Yes
No
The young forward has since stepped back to youth level football, however, and Hendrie has revealed part of that is down to a feeling at the club that the physical side of his game still needs a lot of work.
Speaking exclusively to TIF about Villa’s current crop of youth players, Hendrie said:
“The only player I have heard about and obviously have talked about is Louie Barry, what a talent he is. They’re working on strength wise and conditioning and getting him strong enough to be available.”
The above means Villa supporters may have to wait a little longer before seeing Barry in the first team every weekend. But, if his display against Liverpool is anything to go by, it could be well worth the wait.