Aston Villa face a trip to South London on the final day of the Premier League season, giving Unai Emery the chance to prove one theory right by starting a rarely-seen talent.
Unai Emery’s Aston Villa squad are rightly in full party mode after securing Champions League qualification earlier this week however, one hurdle remains of the 2023/24 calendar.
It’s been a remarkable season for the Villans who have finished fourth in the Premier League for the first time since the 1995/96 campaign, telling of the squad’s progress under the watchful eye of Emery.
A trip to Selhurst Park will conclude the memorable term for the Midlands club, in what will be a challenging final test as Crystal Palace have hit searing form under Oliver Glasner.
The Eagles are undefeated in their previous six Premier League games, winning five and drawing one, a test that could provide the optimum challenge for some of Bodymoor Heath’s finest young talents.
Kaine Kesler-Hayden could start for Aston Villa against Crystal Palace
As a result of Villa’s successes this term, Emery has rarely handed chances to young players in a bid to keep momentum up in the first team.
With nothing to play for in the final game, the Spaniard has been urged to unleash some academy talents, with one star standing out as the player most likely to get minutes against Palace.
Recalled from a loan spell at Plymouth Argyle back in January, it’s been a strange season for Kaine Kesler-Hayden, who went from playing regularly in the Championship to barely featuring for his parent club this year.
The 21-year-old has made three appearances since returning, including playing two minutes in the Premier League.
Against Palace this afternoon, the right-back could have the perfect opportunity to feature, with Matty Cash now ruled out due to injury, leaving a potential vacancy to fill on the right side of defence.
Unai Emery can prove he was right with Kaine Kesler-Hayden comparison to Matty Cash
While Ezri Konsa has been playing at right-back throughout the season, the Englishman is a stronger centre-back, which could prompt Emery to trial Kesler-Hayden in Cash’s absence.
The Birmingham-born defender was compared to the Poland international by Emery himself earlier this season after the decision was made to recall him from his loan at Argyle.
The Villa boss insisted that Kesler-Hayden is the ‘only player to play like’ Cash at right-back, hinting at his ability to drive forward and offer support in advanced areas as the 26-year-old does.
With no points to play for, the chance to offer the defender minutes comes at a low risk, particularly with his quality already prevailing at senior level in his career, as seen in a cup tie against Manchester City when the 21-year-old was on loan at Swindon Town.
Journalist Ashley Preece lauded the Villa academy jewel’s performance against Pep Guardiola’s side as ‘confident’, dubbing the youngster a ‘class act’ defending against the likes of Joao Cancelo and Gabriel Jesus.
It would be the ultimate test for the fullback to show his quality against the wide threat of Palace, handing Emery the chance to assess his suitability to the first team ahead of the summer and the 2024/25 campaign.
The post Emery could now prove he was right by unleashing 'class' Aston Villa gem v Crystal Palace - opinion appeared first on Aston Villa News.
