Aston Villa starlet Caleb Chukwuemeka wins monthly gong for star performances

Aston Villa’s rising star Caleb Chukwuemeka has been named as the Premier League 2 Player of the Month.

The 19-year-old won the award after scoring five goals and earning one assist in the month of September.

Three of his goals came against Midlands rivals West Bromwich Albion, scoring a hat-trick in a 4-2 win over the Baggies.

He then netted a brace against Stoke City and earned his assist in an 8-0 rout of the Potters.

The striker beat off the likes of Folarin Balogun, Joe Geldhart and Alfie Devine to win the award, which was overseen by the Premier League Football Development panel.

In response to his reward, he said: “Appreciate all the support,” on Twitter and was congratulated by the club.

Am I seeing double? Are there two Chukwuemekas?

Aston Villa have not one but two Chukwuemeka’s on their books with Caleb the oldest and Carney the youngest by two years.

Elder brother Caleb set up his younger brother for a goal against Stoke in what was a man-of-the-match performance.

Both started their careers at Northampton Town, but Caleb was brought to Villa Park for an undisclosed fee earlier this summer, whilst Carney had been there since 2016.

Carney made his Premier League debut in a win over Tottenham in May and later played in the win over Chelsea, finishing off a fine season in which he was named AVFC’s Academy Player of the Season.

In August, he was given a league start against Brentford and earned rave reviews from former Villa defender Paul Merson.

Has Caleb played for the first-team yet?

Caleb has one senior appearance to his time in the colours of Aston Villa. In what was a youthful team, he replaced his brother in a 6-0 win over Barrow in the Carabao Cup.

He has also played in two of Villa’s games in the EFL Trophy, which is their Under-23s side facing off against senior clubs in League One and Two.

Caleb however is still waiting to be involved in a Premier League match for his new club, though more appearances may come through in the FA Cup.

He has however had experience of playing for Northampton Town in League One. In his first senior season he made 28 appearances for his hometown team, scoring two goals.

It is believed that his short-term future could be away from Villa with himself, Jaden Philogene-Bidace and Aaron Ramsey all tipped for loan moves in the January transfer window.

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