Brian Madjo tipped as Harry Kane successor as Aston Villa youngster enters England conversation

Aston Villa youngster Brian Madjo has been identified as a potential long-term successor to Harry Kane in an interesting piece from Football365, with the 17-year-old's performance against Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup having made enough of an impression to put him into a conversation that would have seemed almost unthinkable a few months ago.

It is probably a little early to be discussing Madjo as a future England international, let alone somebody who could eventually replace one of the greatest strikers the country has produced, but I do think there is an interesting argument to be made when you consider the lack of obvious alternatives coming through and just how impressive Madjo was against the European champions.

Football365 have highlighted the growing problem England face when Kane eventually calls time on his international career, with the Bayern Munich striker continuing to break records and showing very few signs of slowing down. He has just equalled Peter Shilton's appearance record and scored another six goals during the international break, but at some stage England are going to have to find a way of replacing him.

I actually think Kane could have another two major international tournaments in him, so there is no immediate need to start looking for somebody to take his place, but the options behind him are hardly convincing.

Ollie Watkins and Ivan Toney are effectively out of the picture now, and I think rightly so given their respective moves to Saudi Arabia. Dominic Calvert-Lewin might provide a short-term solution, but he isn't the long-term answer, while Liam Delap is probably the next most obvious candidate if he can continue developing and building on his form at Nottingham Forest.

Interestingly, the Football365 article also points out that Jude Bellingham could be used as a number nine in Kane's absence in the short term, something Thomas Tuchel has already spoken about. It is an interesting possibility given Bellingham's ability to operate further forward, but I think the fact England are even considering using a midfielder in that position tells you quite a lot about the lack of natural alternatives coming through. It might provide a solution for the immediate future, but it doesn't really address the longer-term question of who eventually replaces Kane.

That is where Madjo comes into the conversation, and while I wouldn't want anybody getting carried away based on one senior appearance, there was something about his performance against PSG that made you think Villa might have a really special player on their hands.

One of the most telling observations in the Football365 piece concerns Willian Pacho, who had an incredibly difficult evening dealing with Madjo. We are talking about one of the best central defenders in world football, somebody who has won the Champions League in consecutive seasons, and I genuinely wonder whether he has had a more difficult individual battle over the last couple of years than the one he experienced against a 17-year-old making his Villa debut.

Madjo was physically dominant, aggressive, confident and completely unfazed by the occasion, and while you obviously cannot judge a player's entire future on 72 minutes of football, I thought his performance was extraordinary given the level of opposition.

Tyrone Mings was certainly impressed by what he saw from his young teammate, and speaking after the Super Cup, the Villa defender said: "He has got a very high ceiling."

Mings added: "He is very, very difficult to play against. And I just hope that he takes his goal today and it fills him with confidence, and he can go on and contribute to the team."

The difficulty for Madjo is that he has had a particularly frustrating start to his Villa career, with the registration issues following his £10 million move from Metz in January preventing him from playing during the second half of last season. He then suffered an injury against PSG, just as he was finally getting the opportunity to demonstrate what he could offer Emery.

John McGinn has spoken about the situation and the enormous potential Madjo possesses, describing him as a player who "could be seriously, seriously good", while also acknowledging the need to protect him from the expectations that inevitably surround exciting young English players.

"The rules were ridiculous last year," McGinn said of the registration problems. "A player born in England, not allowed to play in England."

The Villa captain has also been keen to ensure Madjo is given the opportunity to develop without unnecessary pressure.

"I'm excited by him, but I'm trying to protect him as well because it's very hard being young and English," McGinn explained. "There's pressure on him, the hype, being a striker obviously when Harry Kane's getting a bit older."

I think McGinn is absolutely right, because the last thing anybody wants is for Madjo to be burdened with comparisons to Kane before he has even established himself as a Premier League footballer. We have seen plenty of young players struggle with expectations over the years, and Emery will undoubtedly want to manage his development carefully.

However, I also think Madjo might be closer to an England opportunity than people realise, particularly if he can start making an impression for Villa now that he has returned to fitness.

There simply aren't that many obvious candidates emerging in his position, and if Madjo can begin demonstrating some of the qualities we saw against PSG on a regular basis, I don't think it would take an enormous amount of time for him to attract serious international attention.

There is also a real opportunity for him at Villa over the coming weeks. Nicolas Jackson has established himself as the first-choice striker, but with seven games between October 10 and October 31, Emery is going to need to use his squad, and I would personally like to see Madjo involved ahead of Tammy Abraham.

The prospect of him making his Premier League debut against Brentford this weekend is particularly exciting, and while I wouldn't expect him to be starting matches regularly just yet, there should be opportunities for him to contribute and continue his development.

I think the Football365 article raises an interesting question, even if the idea of Madjo succeeding Kane is understandably premature.

There is an enormous difference between impressing in one game and establishing yourself at the highest level, but there is also a reason why people are talking about Madjo after just 72 minutes against PSG.

For now, the priority has to be getting him on the pitch for Aston Villa and allowing him to develop without too much external pressure. If he can build on what we saw in August, I wouldn't be surprised if the England conversation becomes considerably more serious over the next year or two.