Ross Barkley makes an instant impact on his return to Aston Villa in a dominant pre-season display against Walsall
Ross Barkley needed just 21 minutes on his return to Aston Villa to show fans what he will bring to Unai Emery's side next season.
The 30-year-old was involved in the Villans' first two goals in the 3-0 pre-season win at Walsall.
The former Everton midfielder completed a £5m deal moving to villa park earlier this month after a year at Luton Town.
Barkley previously played for town loaned from Chelsea in 2021, making 24 appearances, but has now returned permanently.
Emery's men have a busy summer ahead of them as they prepare for the new season with friendlies in Europe and the United States.
They first faced local rivals Walsall on Wednesday night, with Barkley named in the starting XI for the first half.
With 21 minutes remaining, his quickly-taken free-kick caught the entire Walsall defence by surprise, allowing Morgan Rogers to race into the box and slot the ball into the bottom left corner at Bescot Stadium.
Barkley was crucial again in the 36th minute when Walsall failed to clear his corner, allowing Rogers to score his second goal.
Emery opted to take him off at half-time, though he will surely be pleased to see the 30-year-old making a positive impact.
New signings Samuel Iling-Junior and Enzo Barrenechea featured during the second half as Villa cruised to an easy win, with Louie Barry scoring his third goal of the night.
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The result has allowed Villa to make an encouraging start to their pre-season schedule ahead of what promises to be a very busy 2024/25 campaign.
Villa will play in the Champions League in the new season and the upcoming friendlies will put him to the test against that rival.
After facing Spartak Trnava and Columbus Crew this month, they will play RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund in August.
These matches will be played before or after the matches against Club América and Athletic Bilbao before the start of national football.
Villa open their Premier League campaign with a trip to West Ham on August 17 as they look to achieve even more success under Emery.
