Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has promoted Sil Swinkels to first-team training, according to Ashley Preece.

The Lowdown: Swinkels profiled

Swinkels made the move to the Midlands back in 2020 from Vitesse and has been progressing through the club’s academy since.

The 19-year-old was a part of Villa’s FA Youth Cup winning side and can play as a centre-back or as a left-back. He is thought to be highly rated by those at Villa Park, and it looks as if Emery has given him a chance to impress alongside the first team on the training ground.

The Latest: Preece’s comments

During a live deadline day blog for Birmingham Live (19:52), Preece said that Emery called up Swinkels alongside Lamare Bogarde to first-team sessions at Bodymoor Heath, ‘with Villa low on numbers at present’, although Bogarde has since joined Bristol Rovers on loan.

“With Villa low on numbers at present, Unai Emery has called up Dutch youngsters - and FA Youth Cup winners - Lamare Bogarde and Sil Swinkels (below) to first-team sessions. The pair were on the six-a-side winning team at Bodymoor Heath earlier alongside Emi Martinez, Ezri Konsa, Philippe Coutinho and Ollie Watkins.”

The Verdict: Future star?

Swinkels actually already has one senior Villa appearance to his name, coming on as a substitute in the club’s 4-1 FA Cup defeat to Liverpool back in 2021.

Since then, he appears to have been developing nicely, playing plenty of games for both the U18s and U21s. The Dutch defender has featured 53 times in total, registering one assist.

It looks as if his name will be one to keep an eye on in the coming years, although his contract at Villa could be set to expire in the summer, so an extension may be worth exploring.