Aston Villa returned to winning ways on the weekend, securing a 5-0 victory over Sheffield United which maintains their hopes of a top four finish in the Premier League.
Unai Emery brought in a few players during the transfer window, yet he failed to sign a centre-back and with injuries to Pau Torres and Tyrone Mings, he may be stretched in this area if any more of his players suffer setbacks.
Mings is currently ruled out of the whole campaign following a serious knee injury suffered in the opening game of the season and with the player turning 31 next month, Emery may have to think about the future without him.
Tyrone Mings’ injury news
The Englishman has already missed 103 games during the early part of his career at Bournemouth due to a back injury and a cruciate ligament tear, and his current injury will be tough to come back from.
It could take him a while to get back up to speed and by that time, he may be slightly lower in the pecking order under Emery.
The Englishman has just two years remaining on his current contract, and it is time the former Arsenal boss started looking for potential heirs to take over from Mings.
Instead of diving into the transfer market, however, Emery could take a look closer to home as young defender Kerr Smith is thriving and could be an ideal long-term replacement for the 30-year-old.
Kerr Smith could be a future Aston Villa centre-back
Prior to making the move to England in 2022, Smith was a teenage prodigy at Dundee United, making 12 appearances for the first team before Steven Gerrard poached him.
Academy manager Mark Harrison lavished praise on the then 17-year-old, saying: “He has lots of potential but has already gained some fantastic experience at first-team level with Dundee United, which is rare for a 17-year-old.”
His spell at United also saw him being spoken highly about by his teammate Marc Connolly, who lauded the teen as “incredible” and it is clear he is destined to play at the very top before long.
Over the last two years, Smith has played 51 games combined for the U18 and U23 sides, and he only recently signed a new professional contract at the club before being sent on loan to Scottish outfit St Johnstone, where he will gain more senior experience.
The 19-year-old played in all three of Villa’s EFL Trophy matches this season and acquitted himself well against senior professionals as he won 67% of his aerial duels per game along with averaging an 87% pass success rate and it surely won't be long before Emery hands him a debut in the senior Villa side.
He is still raw and developing, but this spell in the academy has clearly worked wonders for Smith and with Mings’ long-term future unclear, especially following a lengthy recovery from his knee injury, the young Scot could emerge as a perfect heir in the next year or so.
He could save Emery plenty of money in the transfer window by doing so.