Young Aston Villa starlets can make impact, says Zat Knight

Jul 24 2009 by Mathew Kendrick, Birmingham Mail

ZAT Knight believes the future is bright for Villa with youngsters like Barry Bannan and Marc Albrighton coming of age in claret and blue.

The teenage duo are among nine recent academy graduates currently on Peace Cup duty with Martin O’Neill’s first-team squad in Spain.

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Elliot Parish, Ciaran Clark, Chris Herd, Eric Lichaj, Shane Lowry, Jonathan Hogg and Andreas Weimann are also at the training camp in Marbella.

Bannan and Albrighton are on the fringes of the senior side having made their debuts during Villa’s ill-fated UEFA Cup campaign last season.

And Knight is convinced that most of the juniors represent Villa’s next generation of stars and have the potential to make their mark in football.