Ex-Barça striker Louie Barry continues impressive form with hat-trick for Villa U23s

Ex-Barça striker Louie Barry continues impressive form with hat-trick for Villa U23s

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The teenage striker is already knocking on the door of the Aston Villa first team

Barry left Barcelona last January when his hometown club came knocking

Louie Barry scored a hat-trick for Aston Villa U23s on Friday as the former Barcelona striker continued his rich vein of form. 

Barry, 17, announced himself to the world earlier this month when he scored in Villa's FA Cup defeat to Premier League champions Liverpool. 

His performances for the U23 side have been just as impressive and he scored all three on Friday in a 3-2 win away against Norwich City. 

The England youth international's first two goals came from the penalty spot and he completed his treble with a dramatic stoppage-time winner. 

Barry, in addition to one goal in one appearance for the senior side, has now scored 10 goals for Aston Villa's U23s this season, more than anyone else in the Premier League 2. 

Why did he leave Barcelona?

The teenage forward joined Barça from West Bromwich Albion in 2019 but left in 2020 when the chance to sign for his boyhood club Villa came up. 

After scoring numerous goals in preseason playing alongside Ansu Fati and Ilaix Moriba ahead of the 2019-20 season, paperwork issues delayed his competitive debut for Barca. 

When he left, he had scored two goals for Franc Artiga's Juvenil A (U19) side having not been given a proper chance to make his case for regular football. 

Barca reluctantly agreed to let Barry join Villa in a deal that could eventually be worth €3 million, although that figure could come back to haunt them if he continues his progression at the current rate. 

Speaking on Wrighty’s House Podcast, former England striker Ian Wright says Villa coach Dean Smith should give him a chance. 

“The way he took the chance (against Liverpool) was just so clinical, it was an amazingly clinical finish," he said. 

"You know what’s happened with him there? He’s gone through and he’s slipped back to as if he was playing a youth game or anything.

"We can say whatever we want about Covid and how negative it has been and how people are not playing, but now we get to see Louie Barry, because now, what I’ve seen of him is enough to say, boy I wouldn’t mind seeing him again.”

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