After eight months in limbo, the outcome was worth the wait for Brian Madjo. Aston Villa may have lost the Uefa Super Cup 2-1 to Paris St-Germain in Salzburg on Wednesday but the striker made an impressive impact after finally getting the chance to showcase his talent. After initially joining from Metz in January, the 17-year-old ended the frustration which has built during his 212-day wait for competitive action with a grand entrance.
An England Under-17 international, the bruising forward will naturally grab more headlines if he maintains the level he found in Austria against the back-to-back Champions League winners. Villa were barred from registering the teenager by Fifa until they won an appeal through the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) at the start of this month. He was unleashed against PSG - and quickly repaid the faith shown by boss Unai Emery.
What are Fifa's rules on switching nationalities? Villa had fought since the start of the year to register the 6ft 4in Madjo following his £10m arrival from Metz. Under-18 players cannot complete international transfers, but the club argued that since Madjo was born in London he should be exempt - despite having three caps for Luxembourg in friendlies.
Since those games, he accepted an England Under-17 call up last year and has four goals in nine appearances, scoring on his debut against Venezuela. With England searching for their next No.9 once Harry Kane eventually retires, Madjo could force himself into the conversation in the coming years. Fifa does allow some exemptions for minor players to make moves, including if a 16 or 17-year-old transfers within the European Union - something the UK is no longer part of.
The battle was finally won just eight days ago - after Villa took their case to CAS in July - and Madjo was added to the travelling party for Salzburg, having not been included in the initial squad. With Ollie Watkins rested after World Cup duty and Tammy Abraham left on the bench, the youngster was given the responsibility up front by Emery having scored four pre-season goals. His strike at the Red Bull Arena, holding off Ecuador international Willian Pacho to volley in John McGinn's cross, was arguably the hardest chance of the trio he had in a first half full of promise.
It cancelled out Khvicha Kvaratskhelia's opener for PSG, only for Desire Doue to hit a second-half winner after a video assistant referee (VAR) check. Before his goal, the hulking Madjo had earlier planted a free header over from three yards and shot wide, but was a constant nuisance for 11-time Ligue 1 winner and Brazilian centre-back and captain Marquinhos. "He played because he was showing us his capacity to work and be demanding," said boss Emery.
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