Tim Sherwood, the Aston Villa manager, believes that Adama Traoré is a “marked man” after only two games in England.
The £7 million signing from Barcelona scored against Notts County in the Capital One Cup match on Tuesday, but picked up an ankle injury, and Sherwood reckons that the only way to stop the 19-year-old is by fouling him.
“Traoré got kicked and it looks like that is the only way anyone will be able to stop him,” he said. “He’s a marked man and must get used to it.”
Sherwood believes that it is too soon to know whether the former Spain Under-21 winger will be fit for the match at home to Sunderland on Saturday. “It does not look good,” he said. “He took a heavy knock from a bad tackle. He’s a real talent. You don’t want to play with him and you don’t want to play against him.
“He needs to mix his game up because he should not give people the opportunity to kick him.
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“He will be an excellent signing and it is up to me to nurture him. I know his strengths and weaknesses and we’re now trying to iron out the weaknesses.”
Villa beat Notts County 5-3 thanks to a Scott Sinclair hat-trick along with strong displays from Traoré and Jack Grealish, meaning that Gabriel Agbonlahor is no longer an automatic pick. “Everyone’s position is under threat,” Sherwood said.