There are not many positives to take away from Aston Villa's season but, for Irish fans, one such favourable takeaway is the emergence of Kevin Toner.
The 19-year-old made his Premier League debut last weekend when he came off the bench in Villa's 4-2 defeat to Southampton.
The Ireland Under-19 international, unmoved by the occasion, began throwing himself into tackles almost immediately and caretaker manager Eric Black, who knows Toner well from their work together in the club's Under-21 set-up, has been impressed by the Meath teenager's progress.
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“It’s fantastic. I’m absolutely delighted for him," Black said. "But again, there has to be a process in place prior to him actually getting on the pitch.
“That involves watching him in the Under-21s, speaking to his coaches about his mentality, looking at how physical he is, whether he can cope with a certain level of football and then bringing him into training with the first-team and giving him a good week to get involved in that.
“And then at that point it’s still not 100 percent sure, but you take the decision whether he plays or not."
Toner's tenacity is a vital part of his game and many remember him more clearly from the part he played in a mass brawl in an U21 Premier League game earlier this month.
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While he obviously went too far in that game against West Ham's U21 side, Toner has been backed for a bright future in football due to his mentality and passion for the game.
“I think he deserved enormous credit for his mentality,” Black added. “I’ve been really refreshed by his mentality and the desire to be a football player. I think it’s something that’s sadly missing at times these days.
“I think just to see a young man who’s so passionate about being a football player and will do anything to be a football player is wonderful.
“Whether he goes on to play for Man United, I’m not sure, but with the attributes I’ve seen in the past two or three weeks, he’ll have a career in football.”
