Aston Villa correspondent Gregg Evans is ‘expecting’ more youngsters to be offered professional terms at Villa Park.

The Lowdown: O’Reilly signs

Villa recently confirmed that attacking midfielder Tommi O’Reilly has penned professional terms at the club, with academy manager Mark Harrison labelling it as ‘important’.

The 18-year-old has recently been named on the bench in the Premier League by Steven Gerrard in wins over Brighton and Southampton and has now signed a ‘long-term contract’ at Bodymoor Heath.

It looks as if more may now follow in O’Reilly’s footsteps, whereas other youngsters could soon depart.

The Latest: Evans’ post

Villa reporter Evans took to Twitter on Tuesday evening to provide an update on the futures of several young players. He named four more who he expects to be offered terms and admitted others would leave.

“AVFC to this week decide which young players are offered a contract ahead of 2022/23. Expecting Teddy Rowe, Frankie Ealing, DJ Sturridge and Taylor-Jay Hart to be offered deals. Tommi O’Reilly already signed. Will be plenty of departures.”

The Verdict: Exciting times

Villa appear to be building for the future as well as providing the funds for Gerrard to bolster his senior squad. The club won the FA Youth Cup last year for the first time since 2002 and brought in a number of players to their academy over the summer.

It now looks as if more players will take the next step by penning professional terms, and over the coming years, we may well see some break into the first team, just like Jacob Ramsey has done this season.

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