Bad move for the kid given the way we bring players through our system.
We've had less come through in recent years and chances are that would reduce even more if we went up again because the standard they need to reach is so much higher and the financial implications of failure become massive, so you can't take the risk on a youngster unless they're an absolutely phenomenal talent. We had a decent period of development for a few reasons - terrible finances forcing us to put kids in the first team squad and try them out and we still had a decent academy going back to the Prem/Champ days compared to others at that level, so we could develop those kids to a higher level at the time so they stood out more.
The other thing that can help player development is having the opportunity to play in games that the team are winning comfortably, so here is no pressure on them and they can use it for experience. Teams like ourselves and Villa rarely do that so those opportunities will be limited.
But having said that at this moment in time he probably would have more chance of eventually playing first team here than at Villa. But at the same time he might be being offered better incentives to join them and have better facilities. Even if he doesn't make it there he'll have that PL scholarship on his CV which will look more impressive to other teams as he tries to make a living from the game.
theathletic.com
