Two headed chances went begging for teenage striker Brian Madjo as Aston Villa pushed for an equaliser against Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup in Salzburg — but the 17-year-old still made a case for himself before the night was out.

Madjo only became eligible to feature after the Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld a Villa appeal related to his registration. The forward, who joined Villa from Metz in January, had been barred from competitive action until his 18th birthday despite being born in London. A productive pre-season — featuring regular minutes and goals — set the stage for a competitive debut that finally arrived on Wednesday.

When his goal did come, Madjo earned it the hard way, muscling past one of Europe's finest defenders at the back post to convert John McGinn's cross. It was a moment of raw promise from a player who has had to wait far longer than most for his chance.

Hemmings emerges as Villa's most compelling story

Yet the most significant development of the evening centred on midfielder George Hemmings. The 19-year-old former Nottingham Forest youngster came to the attention of Aston Villa's coaching staff last summer during a friendly against Walsall at the Bescot Stadium, and he has been building on that impression ever since.

Hemmings featured consistently through pre-season alongside various partners in manager Unai Emery's preferred double pivot, earned a place in the first-team group while others went out on loan, and made four appearances off the bench — including one start in the UEFA Europa League — before this summer's repositioning changed everything.

That Europa League start, against Red Bull Salzburg, was a difficult outing. But Emery has since moved Hemmings forward into the three attacking midfielders behind the striker, and the shift has produced a noticeably different player. His ability to carry the ball into space, combine in the final third, and contribute in both penalty areas has emerged with far greater clarity in his new role.

Hemmings operated primarily from the left against PSG — the same position that revived Emi Buendia's career in 2025-26 — and delivered exactly the kind of performance that role demands. He connected attacks, threatened goal, and shouldered much of the creative responsibility that Morgan Rogers carried before his British transfer record move to Chelsea.

Buendia, meanwhile, has shifted into the number 10 role following Rogers' departure, but it was Hemmings who drove at Paris Saint-Germain, Hemmings who linked the play, and Hemmings who did the heavy lifting on the left across all areas of the pitch.

What next for Villa's promising midfielder?

His exact role this season remains uncertain. The arrival of Swiss international Johan Manzambi adds another option to Villa's attacking unit, and Manzambi is considered ahead of Hemmings in terms of first-team readiness. How Emery configures the three behind the striker will determine how much room Hemmings has to operate.

What is clear, though, is that his composed and industrious display against the reigning back-to-back UEFA Champions League winners will have done his prospects no harm. If anything, it may well have strengthened Emery's confidence in the depth of his young squad ahead of what promises to be a demanding season on multiple fronts.