Aston Villa suffered a 4-2 defeat to Real Sociedad on Tuesday, but head coach Unai Emery will take plenty of encouragement from the performance of several younger players.
Teenage striker Brian Madjo caught the eye in particular, giving the Europa League holders a glimpse of what could be a potent weapon in the months ahead.
Villa are still awaiting the outcome of their appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport as they attempt to register the England Under-17 international for competitive fixtures.
Madjo joined from Metz for £10m in January and does not turn 18 until January next year, meaning he currently cannot play in official matches for the club.
Under-18s cannot complete international transfers, but Villa have argued Madjo was born in London and should be exempt, despite having three caps for Luxembourg.
FIFA does allow some exemptions for minor players to make moves, including if a 16 or 17-year-old transfers within the European Union, something the UK is no longer part of.
At 6ft 4in, Madjo has already been compared to Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku, and his leveller to make it 2-2 after 56 minutes showed a sharp predatory instinct in front of goal.
He was a handful for Sociedad throughout, with his strength and power unsettling the visiting defenders and making life uncomfortable for those tasked with containing him.
With Ollie Watkins still on a break following England’s World Cup campaign and Tammy Abraham returning from a shoulder issue, Madjo has a real opportunity to impress Emery this summer.
The tantalising prospect remains of the hulking youngster being unleashed in Premier League action in the new year, or earlier still if Villa win their CAS appeal.
Villa remain in the market for a striker regardless, with Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson still considered a top target as Emery looks to bolster his attacking options ahead of the new campaign.
Nineteen-year-old midfielder George Hemmings also featured and opened the scoring before Carlos Soler equalised, with Orri Oskarsson, Gorka Carrera, and Inaki Ruperez completing the scoring for the La Liga side.
Emery was visibly animated throughout the first half, frequently talking to himself and the bench with hands on his hips or arms flailing as he tried to impose his ideas on the younger players.
Getting Madjo and Hemmings to follow his tactical instructions proved difficult, with neither player consistently pulling wider as the Villa head coach demanded during the game.
Emery was also heard repeating the instruction “don’t move” several times to 19-year-old winger Luka Lynch before the teenager finally stopped and collected the ball as intended.
Matty Cash, Tyrone Mings, and Emi Buendia started against Sociedad, but many key first-team regulars were absent as they returned from international duty or recovered from injury.
Villa’s World Cup contingent, including Ezri Konsa, John McGinn, Victor Lindelof, Emi Martinez, and record signing Johan Manzambi, did not feature in the friendly in Walsall.
The departure of Youri Tielemans and Morgan Rogers, combined with Amadou Onana’s serious knee injury ruling him out until next year, has made for a demanding summer of recruitment.
Winger Alejandro Garnacho was absent after his loan move from Chelsea last week but is expected to join the squad for Villa’s tour of Indonesia this week.
Emery’s side face Indonesia All-Stars on Saturday, BG Pathum United the following Tuesday, and Bayern Munich in Hong Kong on 7 August before returning for the Super Cup against Paris St-Germain in Salzburg on 12 August.
