Why Tammy Abraham could start ahead of Brian Madjo against Bournemouth

I've been quite critical of Tammy Abraham at various stages since he returned to Aston Villa, particularly when he was coming off the bench earlier in the season and I didn't think he looked particularly mobile, and there were times when I genuinely struggled to see how he was going to fit into what Unai Emery's wanted this season.

There were reasons for that, of course, because he'd had surgery during the summer and was clearly trying to get himself back up to speed, but I also think it's fair to say that Emery was prepared for Abraham to leave towards the end of the transfer window. There was an opportunity for him to move on, he decided that he wanted to stay at Villa, which he was perfectly entitled to do, and we've subsequently seen a situation develop that I think is quite interesting in terms of how Emery manages his squad.

One thing I will say about Emery is that even when a player isn't necessarily part of his preferred plans, if they end up remaining at the football club, he doesn't just completely disregard them. He's still got to manage that individual, keep them involved and make sure they're contributing to the group, and I think that's particularly relevant with Abraham because he's a popular character in the dressing room.

Aston Villa's decision to register Abraham for the Champions League ahead of Brian Madjo was unexpected, and my interpretation of Emery's call after speaking to a few sources is that there was probably a bit more to the decision than simply looking at which player was going to offer the most on the pitch. Abraham had decided to stay, he's an experienced player and somebody who is well liked within the squad, and I do wonder whether leaving him out of the European squad would have created a problem that Emery simply didn't need.

I'm not suggesting that Emery picked Abraham purely to keep him happy, because there are obviously footballing reasons for including him, but I think the way he manages the dressing room is something that can sometimes be overlooked when we're discussing team selection.

And in fairness to Abraham, since the transfer window closed, he's actually started to make a contribution.

He scored twice against Coventry in the previous round of the Carabao Cup, and I thought the movement for his first goal was particularly good. He's also scored against Fenerbahçe in the Champions League, and while I still have reservations about certain aspects of his game, one thing I've never really questioned is his ability to finish when chances fall to him.

Which brings me to Bournemouth, because I initially thought this might be the perfect opportunity for Madjo to start, particularly after seeing him come on against Manchester City at the weekend, but the more I've considered it, the more I think Abraham might actually get the nod.

Emery could quite easily look at the Coventry game, see that Abraham scored twice and decide that he's earned the right to continue in this competition. There would be nothing particularly unreasonable about that, and I wonder whether we might see Abraham effectively become Villa's domestic cup striker, starting in the Carabao Cup and potentially the FA Cup, while also being available from the bench in the Champions League.

Madjo, meanwhile, could continue getting opportunities in the Premier League and domestic cup competitions without having to carry the responsibility of starting every time Nicolas Jackson isn't involved.

I can completely understand why people want Madjo to play because I'm exactly the same. He's one of the most exciting young players we've had at Villa for a long time, and what he did against Paris Saint-Germain in the Super Cup was extraordinary for somebody of his age. We know he's capable of causing problems for very good defenders, and there's naturally a desire to see what he can do when given more opportunities.

But he's also 17 years old, he's coming back from an injury and Emery has already shown that he's prepared to trust him in some enormous games, so I don't think there's any particular need to rush the situation.

The emergence of Jackson as Villa's main striker has helped enormously in that respect because we're not in a position where we're desperately relying on Madjo to come in and score goals. We've got somebody who is already doing that, Abraham is beginning to contribute when called upon, and Emery can manage Madjo's development without having to place too much responsibility on him too early.

I would still like to see Madjo get a decent amount of football against Bournemouth, and preferably in circumstances where Villa are attacking rather than defending a narrow lead, because when he came on against Manchester City it was very much backs-to-the-wall stuff and we didn't really get an opportunity to see the attacking side of his game.

There's also the possibility that the situation changes in January if Abraham gets another opportunity to leave, because that would naturally create more space for Madjo to become Jackson's main understudy. Until then, though, Abraham is here, he's contributed to Villa getting this far in the competition and I don't see why Emery shouldn't continue using him.

I think sometimes we're a little bit too quick to assume that a young player not starting a particular game is somehow going to damage their development, when in reality Emery has got an entire season to manage and several different competitions to consider.

Madjo will get his opportunities, and I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up having a significant role to play as the season progresses, particularly when the fixtures start piling up and Villa need something different in attacking areas.

But Abraham has also got something to offer, and after the way things were looking for him towards the end of the transfer window, I wouldn't have necessarily expected to be saying that quite so confidently a couple of months later.