Erling Haaland blueprint! Aston Villa wonderkid Brian Madjo told where he can improve as England hope 17-year-old sensation becomes Harry Kane’s successor

Enfield-born Madjo is a product of the youth system in France, having moved to Luxembourg at a young age. He made his senior breakthrough at Metz, before being returned to the country of his birth in January 2026.

Villa saw something in the hard-working forward and invested €12 million (£10m/$14m) worth of faith in his ability. At that point, the teenage frontman was considered to be one for the future - with a registration dispute being entered into with FIFA.

World football’s governing body prevents ‘international’ transfers from taking place that involve players under the age of 18. Madjo was considered to fill that bracket having earned three caps for Luxembourg.

Villa argued against that, as the youngster was born in London, and were eventually given a green light to include Madjo in their first-team plans after taking their case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

Madjo figured for Villa in pre-season and caught the eye on the grandest of stages when opening his goal account in the UEFA Super Cup, as Unai Emery’s side took on Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain. He became the youngest player to score in that fixture.

An unfortunate injury setback has delayed his Premier League debut, but opportunities should arise there - especially as Ollie Watkins is pushing for a transfer amid links to Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal.

Madjo, despite his relative lack of experience, is considered to boast the qualities required to star in the English top-flight. He stands at 6ft 4in tall and is physically powerful enough to hold his own against more established opponents.

Heskey was cut from similar cloth in his playing days, with the ex-Villans striker - who was speaking in association with Premier League betting site BetWright - telling GOAL when asked if Madjo should be looking to Haaland for inspiration: “Yeah, I think so. You know what you can see from him, he's trying little things.

“His hold-up play is not great, but he's actually trying it. He's actually seeing things. It doesn't always come off. But one thing I will say, he can get in positions, because he could have had four in the Super Cup final. And yeah, I think he's got a lot more to come. Because for 6 foot 4, he's very mobile as well.”

Villa are eager to see Madjo become a leading man for them, with England clinging to a similar hope. Somebody is required to fill the boots that record goalscorer Kane will hang up at some point in the not too distant future.

Quizzed on whether Madjo could be that man, former Three Lions star Heskey added: “It's an interesting one, because forwards are very difficult to find now. Everyone wants to be a winger. We've got an abundance of wingers and right-backs. Whereas forwards now, we struggle to find.

“He came through in France. So why are England not producing forwards? We used to produce a lot of forwards. Is it the systems we play? Is it that the forward role is no longer attractive? We've got to figure that out, especially for international level.”

That remains a poser for another day, with Kane - who is much fancied to land the prestigious Ballon d’Or in 2026 - showing no sign of slowing down with Bayern Munich and England. He is, however, 33 years of age and may not have another World Cup cycle in him.

Madjo should get a chance to stake his claim to the No.9 berth at some stage, with his immediate challenge being to regain full match fitness and catch the eye while performing under the brightest of Premier League spotlights.