Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has called up teenage midfielder Lamare Bogarde to first-team training this week ahead of their clash with Everton.
In a picture posted by Aston Villa on Instagram, Bogarde can be seen alongside his senior teammates
He also features in a training video posted on the club’s official YouTube channel.
Unai Emery will be hoping for a response from his squad after a disastrous start to the season.
Aston Villa looked good in pre-season, playing an exciting brand of football during the Premier League Summer Series.
However, Newcastle put them to the sword on Saturday, proving their top-four credentials with a 5-1 win.
Emery wasn’t helped by the serious injury picked up by Emi Buendia in the build-up to the game and Tyrone Mings being stretchered off in the first half.
The openness Villa showed at times during pre-season, particularly against Brentford, was exploited time and again by Eddie Howe’s side.
Emery has called up 19-year-old Lamare Bogarde to first-team training in preparation for their next match.
The Dutch Under-20 international has a single senior appearance to his name at Villa Park.
It wouldn’t be a surprise to see him add to that tally during the upcoming season.
Emery calls up Bogarde to senior training
Bogarde’s only first-team appearance came during one of the strangest matches in Aston Villa’s history.
When football returned after the pandemic, squads were put in bubbles to avoid the spread of Covid as much as possible.
After Villa’s first-team squad and many of their Under-21s were forbidden to play, Bogarde and the rest of the Under-18 side were asked to step up.
Incredibly, they went into the game level thanks to a Louie Barry goal but eventually fell to a 4-1 defeat.
Very few of the players involved that day have gone to play for Villa again but Emery is clearly a fan of Bogarde and could give him his opportunity after watching him in training.
He could still be on the move this summer, with Southampton identifying him as a potential replacement for Romeo Lavia.
It would be a big step up for Bogarde but showcases his potential and how highly regarded he is outside of Aston Villa.
