Louie Barry drew some hefty praise after scoring against Liverpool in the FA Cup third round, with Stephen Warnock comparing the Aston Villa youngster to former teammate Michael Owen.
The striker, who was one of the few to also play for the club’s bitter rivals, Manchester United, was a prolific force during his glittering Anfield career, winning the Ballon d’Or in 2001.
“Sadio Mane put Liverpool ahead after three minutes and you’re thinking ‘floodgates could open here, this could be a reall long night for Aston Villa’s youngsters’,” Warnock spoke on Sky Sports. “It wasn’t to be; they actually grew in confidence off the back of that and they came back into the game – Louie Barry sprints away and a brilliant finish from him.”
“It almost reminded me of a young Michael Owen when he broke on the scene at Liverpool,” the 39-year-old added.
In fairness to Villa’s kids, they put in one hell of a shift last night to keep the scoreline respectable, with Barry’s first-half strike providing some hope of another shock result for the the West Midlands side.
While the former Barca youth’s run and follow-up goal was deservedly lauded, it may be too soon to heap such burdenous praise on the 17-year-old’s shoulders.
In his day, Owen was a force to be reckoned with; blessed with blistering pace, an eye for goal and sheer technical ability the likes of which is not often seen to such an extent in young forwards today.
We couldn’t stop smiling yesterday watching the prospect’s post-match interview and we wish him well with his career at Villa Park.
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