Aston Villa have been immense this campaign, as highlighted by their current fourth-place spot in the Premier League.
However, this week they suffered a disappointing 3-1 home defeat to Chelsea, which dumped them out of the FA Cup.
The midfield arguably lost them the tie, but there was a glimmer of quality towards the end of the game via one substitute, whom Unai Emery could look to fully unleash soon.
The rise of Jack Grealish
Having been at his boyhood club since the age of six, Jack Grealish made his Premier League debut for Villa away to Manchester City on 7 May, 2014, in what was just the start of him becoming a Villans legend.
The winger would go on to mainly take on the role of a substitute in the next two seasons, during a time when the club struggled on the field and eventually succumbed to relegation.
However, this is where Grealish developed into the player he is today, taking on the captain's armband and leading the club he supports to the Premier League in 2019.
Grealish contributed to 65 goals over 213 games for Villa, with his best campaign coming in the 2020/21 Premier League season, when he scored six times and registered ten assists. This earned him a move to Man City for £100m, which is the second-most expensive signing in Premier League history.
The 28-year-old has gone on to become a key player for Pep Guardiola's side, helping them win the treble last season while also becoming a regular for England.
Perhaps, Emery could have the biggest prospect since Grealish waiting in the wings…
Tim Iroegbunam's future at Villa
Despite being handed his first Premier League start in the 2021/22 season by Steven Gerrard and impressing, Tim Iroegbunam was sent on loan to QPR last season, where he took on a key role, playing 32 games and helping the side avoid relegation to League One.
This season, he has played 41 minutes under Emery, which has occurred in Villa's last two matches. The 6 foot midfielder can play as a number eight or as a defensive midfielder, and his stats from his time at the Hoops show what type of player he is.
Goals
0.08
Top 47%
Assists
0.00
Bottom 86%
Tackles won
1.74
Top 10%
Passes blocked
1.54
Top 6%
Carries into final third
1.62
Top 20%
The England gem played a handful of roles in the Championship, for a side that often spent long spells without the ball, which prevented most of his on-the-ball qualities from shining, but he still showed his ability to carry the ball with ease.
However, that did allow him to show his ability to hold his own, especially out of possession, as he ranked highly for tackles won and passes blocked, showing his reading of the game is superb.
It is no surprise that analyst and writer PGR described Iroengbunam as the "real deal," and his profile would be the perfect replacement for Douglas Luiz, who has been tipped with a move away from the club, with Arsenal being a potential destination.
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The likeness between the pair can be seen in their shared defensive prowess, with Luiz averaging 2.7 tackles and interceptions per game this season in the Premier League, while his young teammate averaged 2.8 for that same metric in the second tier in 2022/23.
Whether the Brazilian leaves in the summer or not, the youngster deserves a chance to shine.