Aston Villa have confirmed that midfielder Alfie Lynskey has signed his first professional contract with the club. Lynskey turned 17 on Boxing Day and Villa were able to sit the teenager down and tie him down to a senior deal.

Lynskey has spent most of his playing time in the club's under 18s this season, but he did play 57 minutes in a particularly young team which took Bolton Wanderers to penalties - and ultimately claimed the extra point on offer - in the groups stages of the Vertu Trophy, a competition Villa remain active in.

A local lad who was spotted as a child playing locally, Lynskey is expected to continue his development at Bodymoor Heath in the coming months and, in time, aim to follow a host of others out of the club's heralded academy and into the first-team sphere in due course. Mark Harrison, the club's academy manager, is pleased to have secured Lynskey's services.

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“We're delighted Alfie has signed his first professional contract having been at the Academy for many years, signing from local grassroots football,” he said. “Alfie is a very technically efficient central midfield player who can manage the ball effectively and has the ability to create chances with his clever play.

“He is a player who we feel has a lot of potential and we look forward to seeing how he develops over the coming years.”

Villa have been sure to sign up their best young talent in recent months; Oliwier Zych, Kadan Young, Triston Rowe, Keilan Quinn and Jamal Jimoh-Aloba are all youngsters who have committed their futures since the beginning of the season, while the likes of Morgan Rogers and Jhon Duran have penned new, long deals in the first team.