Aston Villa have teenage phenom likened to Romelu Lukaku but he’s banned from playing until January

Brian Madjo has always stood out, literally and figuratively.

At just 17 years of age, Madjo is 193cm tall and already appears to have the physical strength of an ox.

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Aston Villa fans got their first glimpse of Madjo’s imposing build in their first pre-season friendly against Walsall, which they won 5-0.

Madjo, who started the contest up top, scored twice.

His first goal showcased his strength, fending off his marker to get on the end of Kosta Nedeljkovic’s cross from the right and slam a first-time finish into the net.

Madjo’s second came when Emi Buendia’s attempt on goal smacked him in the head, only to re-gather his composure and smash it home.

Although it was slightly fortuitous, Madjo’s intelligent movement in the lead-up ensured he was in the right place at the right time, proving he is equal parts brain and brawn.

Madjo’s display set tongues wagging among Villa fans given it was their first proper glimpse of the striker who joined from FC Metz in January for an estimated £10million.

The two key challenges that accelerated Madjo’s rise

But Madjo shining against players older than him shouldn’t have come as a surprise.

In fact, during Madjo’s time in Luxembourg club Racing Union’s academy, he never played against kids his own age.

Instead, he played two age groups higher to challenge him physically and mentally.

But that wasn’t even the trickiest part of his development.

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“The thing is, physically he was always big and strong and fast,” Racing Union academy director Delvin Skenderovic told talkSPORT.com.

“The problem we had to work on was his technique, his behaviour under pressure.

“So what we used to do in some games, we put him as a midfielder where he had more pressure in his back to improve his technical skills, to learn how to behave with pressure, to learn to keep the ball.

“We could have put him as a striker and he would score two or three goals every match, but this was not the point.

“The point was his development and this was a point we had to work on.”

Madjo was already on Racing Union’s books when Skenderovic joined the club five years ago.

Racing Union

Racing Union

But Skenderovic, along with just about everyone at the club, quickly recognised Madjo ‘will be a big thing’.

“Brian is a kid with an elite mentality,” Skenderovic continued.

“He’s always working on himself. He always wants to improve.”

Unmistakable Madjo comparison spells danger for rival defenders

Given Madjo’s physical build coupled with his nose for goal, fans have been quick to draw comparisons between the teenager and a certain Belgian beast.

Even Skenderovic believes Madjo boasts a similar profile to the player, but there’s one key area of his game that sets the Villa prodigy apart.

“I think he reminds me a lot of Romelu Lukaku,” Skenderovic said.

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“I think he has quite a similar profile where he’s able to keep the ball, he’s strong with his head.

“But I just think Brian will be a little bit faster than Lukaku.”

Given Lukaku has scored over 300 goals throughout his senior professional career and 93 at international level for Belgium, replicating even half of that will be no easy task for Madjo.

Why can’t Madjo play for Villa until January?

Unfortunately for the teenager, it may be another six months before he can start accumulating goals as a senior Villa player.

Because Madjo was signed from an overseas club before he turned 18, FIFA rejected Villa’s attempt to register him, pointing to Article 19 of their regulations which stipulate international transfers of players under the age of 18 are prohibited.

What makes the situation all the more frustrating for Villa is that Madjo was born in England and has represented the nation at Under-17 level.

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Villa have since appealed FIFA’s decision to block Madjo’s registration and escalated their case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), with a verdict yet to be handed down.

Yet even if Madjo is forced to wait until he turns 18 on January 12 to play for Villa, Skenderovic does not believe it will impact his trajectory as he’s fully convinced by the teen’s talent.

“Honestly, I see Brian in a couple of years in the best European clubs,” Skenderovic said.

“I think he has a very good profile to adapt in the Premier League, which, for me, is the hardest league in the world.

“I think he can go to the top.”