After Aston Villa's youngsters stole the show in the FA Cup defeat to Liverpool earlier this year, naturally, attentions have been firmly centred on which one of the club's brightest academy talents could be set for a break through.

One of those whose star is burning brighter than most, is Carney Chukwuemeka.

The 17-year-old has yet to make his senior debut for Dean Smith's side, but is already making waves behind the scenes.

One scout told The Athletic: "He’s the best player Villa have got coming through. He can do everything in the midfield area and there are a lot of clubs monitoring his situation at Villa."

And just recently on the 1874 podcast, Gregg Evans spoke about just how highly thought of he is in and around the club, revealing that "he's the one everybody's talking about" - the journalist even went so far as to describe him as "the real deal".

The crucial point of note for Smith is the considerable transfer interest that Chukwuemeka is generating from rival clubs, with reports just last month suggesting that the likes of Manchester United and Bayern Munich, among some other European elites, are keen on making a move for the teenager.

The modern young player knows that they no longer have to stay put at their clubs and just wait patiently for a chance to play first-team football. The likes of Jadon Sancho at Borussia Dortmund and more recently Jamal Musiala at Bayern Munich have shown talented English starlets that they can enjoy a far quicker path-way to senior football by moving abroad.

It's exactly why Villa should seriously consider giving Chukwuemeka a chance to shine in the first-team, and prove to him that he doesn't have to leave the club to be playing at a senior level.

Meanwhile, Villa could find a new Gareth Barry in this man...