Aston Villa head coach Unai Emery made some difficult decisions over the summer transfer window as he opted to cash in on a number of talented young prospects.
Who did Aston Villa sell this summer?
The Spanish boss, who led the club to qualification for the group stages of the Europa Conference League last month, decided to sell three U21 prospects who enjoyed impressive loan spells in the Championship last term.
Player sold
Age of player
Aaron Ramsey
20
Jaden Philogene
21
Cameron Archer
21
Wesley
26
Keinan Davis
25
Marvelous Nakamba
29
Aaron Ramsey and Cameron Archer both spent the second half of the 2022/23 campaign on loan with Middlesbrough and Philogene spent the season with Cardiff City.
However, they did not do enough to convince Emery that they would be part of his long-term plans and that could open the door for other young players in the academy to make their way through the ranks.
One talented ace who could have the potential to be a future star for the former Villarreal boss is Scottish centre-forward Rory Wilson.
The teenage marksman has been a prolific scorer at youth level and could be a lethal partner for current first-team attacker Moussa Diaby further down the line.
How old is Rory Wilson?
He is a 17-year-old striker who does not turn 18 until January of next year. This means that the Villans prospect still has plenty of time left on his hands to develop and there is no rush for him to emerge as a first-team option in the immediate term.
The Villans signed him from Scottish giants Rangers in the summer of 2022 for a reported development fee of £300k after the prolific teen enjoyed a phenomenal 2021/22 season.
Journalist Barry Anderson claimed that the former Gers academy prodigy racked up a mind-boggling 49 goals for the Light Blues and Scotland's youth teams combined.
However, there was no guarantee that Wilson would be able to carry over his form to English football with Villa or to a higher age group.
How many goals has Rory Wilson scored for Aston Villa?
The Scotland U21 international has slapped away any concerns over how he would adapt to life in England as the sublime forward has produced an eye-catching 20 goals in 25 games for the club's academy sides to date.
Wilson started the 2022/23 campaign with the U18 team and quickly became a reliable source for goals through the middle of the pitch as he found the back of the net 11 times across 11 outings in the U18 Premier League and FA Youth Cup.
His sensational form in front of goal earned the Scottish talent progression to the U21 squad and he scored four goals and provided one assist in seven Premier League 2 clashes.
Although, the youngster has started the 2023/24 campaign with the U18s and has fired in an exceptional five goals in three league matches so far.
This means that Wilson, who was once described as a "goal machine" by journalist Jonty Colman, has scored 16 goals in 14 U18 games for Villa since making the move from Rangers ahead of the 2022/23 season.
The Villans appear to have a terrific goalscoring talent on their hands and he could be a future star for Emery's team alongside Diaby in attack.
Villa's current first-choice striker Ollie Watkins, 27, is ten years older than Wilson so the potential is there for the Scottish ace to eventually take over from the England international if he is able to develop into a first-team option.
Diaby, however, only turned 24 in July and could be heading into his prime years as Wilson enters his 20s. They could, therefore, form a dream partnership at the top end of the pitch.
How many career goals has Diaby scored?
The France international has produced 64 club career goals to date and has bagged twice in four Premier League outings since his move to Villa Park from Bayer Leverkusen over the summer.
Diaby, who scored 22 Bundesliga goals in his final two seasons in Germany combined, is able to provide a big goal threat from out wide and could be a lethal player to play alongside Wilson as they could both pose questions to the opposition goalkeeper with their respective finishing ability.
However, the summer signings' creative ability is why they could work so well together. The French wizard has created three 'big chances' and assisted one goal in four top-flight games for the club this season, as per Sofascore.
He also showcased his ingenuity in Germany with 14 'big chances' created and 1.8 key passes per game in the Bundesliga last term. That came after Diaby conjured 15 'big chances' and 1.9 key passes per match for his teammates during the 2021/22 campaign.
Meanwhile, no Aston Villa player managed more than 1.2 key passes per Premier League clash throughout the 2022/23 season, suggesting that Diaby can be Emery's outstanding creator in the final third.
This could make him the perfect partner for Wilson as the former Paris Saint-Germain academy starlet has the quality to consistently put chances on a plate for the striker.
The teen, who has scored 16 goals in 19 appearances for Scotland at U17 level, could thrive off the winger's superb service into the box as he has proven himself to be a prolific scorer for club and country, albeit he is yet to showcase his skills in a senior environment.
The next step for Wilson is now to establish himself as a regular goalscorer for Villa's U21 team and to then catch Emery's eye, whether that is in pre-season or by securing a loan move to gain consistent first-team exposure.
There is no rush for the Scotland youth international to make that next step as he still has plenty of time to develop, but his superb statistics suggest that the potential is there for him to make an impact at first-team level in the future if he can adapt his game to senior football.