Aston Villa's promising young midfielder, Tommi O'Reilly, is making significant strides in his professional development during a season-long loan spell with League Two side Crewe Alexandra.
Impressive Start at Crewe
The 21-year-old Birmingham-born academy graduate has become an indispensable part of Lee Bell's squad, starting every single league game for the Railwaymen since his arrival. His impressive form includes scoring three goals already this season, making him the joint top scorer for the club.
O'Reilly's most recent strike came in a 3-1 victory over Shrewsbury Town earlier this month, contributing to Crewe's strong start that sees them sitting in eighth position, just one point outside the play-off places.
A Steady Development Path
This represents the third loan move in O'Reilly's young career, following spells with Shrewsbury Town and MK Dons last season. While at Shrewsbury, he made 12 League One appearances, before moving to MK Dons in January where he added 16 more league outings and scored his first senior goal.
The attacking midfielder admits his rapid integration into the Crewe starting eleven has surpassed his own expectations. "Yeah it has, I didn't think I'd be starting this many games and playing this many minutes," O'Reilly told BBC Radio Stoke.
Building Towards Villa's First Team
O'Reilly emphasised the importance of choosing the right club for this crucial loan spell, explaining that finding a team that suited his style was paramount. "It was really important I chose a team that would suit me football-wise and I think it's shown that when I've got that I can deliver the goods," he stated.
With just one senior appearance for Aston Villa to his name - coming in the Europa Conference League nearly two years ago - O'Reilly is focused on continuing his current trajectory. "I want it to continue for the rest of the season and get as many goals and assists as I can and see where that takes us," he added, acknowledging the trust placed in him by Crewe manager Lee Bell.
The Villa prospect appears to have found the perfect environment to accelerate his development, taking another significant step towards potentially breaking into Unai Emery's first-team plans at Villa Park.
