Birmingham Live journalist Ashley Preece has revealed that Aston Villa youngster Cameron Archer reminds him of Jamie Vardy.
Another Villa academy product, Jacob Ramsey, has made a significant impact in the first-team this season, and Archer could follow in his footsteps in the not-too-distant future.
Who is Cameron Archer?
Prior to this season, Villa supporters may have never heard of Archer as he spent last season on loan at non-league outfit Solihull Moors. He hardly pulled up any trees there either, scoring four goals in 26 league appearances.
However, he has caught the eye in the opening weeks of the current campaign thanks to his performances in the Carabao Cup. Back in August, he netted a hat-trick in the second round of the competition against Barrow, and he followed that up by scoring a powerful header against Chelsea last month.
Since that goal at Stamford Bridge, he has made two short appearances off the bench in the Premier League, suggesting that Dean Smith is fully aware of his potential and could give him more opportunities moving forwards.
What has Preece said about Archer?
Given that Archer is still relatively new on the scene, Preece was recently asked by GIVEMESPORT about the player's attributes, and whether the 19-year-old could be compared to a current top-flight footballer.
Preece responded by saying: “In terms of player comparisons, Archer’s got pace, bags of pace, movement. A real fox in the box, Jamie Vardy kind of striker.”
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Could Archer be the next Jamie Vardy?
It is a huge ask of a player just starting his career to try to emulate Vardy's accomplishments. The Leicester striker has cemented his place as one of the finest forwards in England over the last seven years, scoring 124 top-flight goals, plus winning the Premier League title and the FA Cup with the Foxes.
Still, it should be pointed out that he only played his first Premier League match when he was 27, so Archer has plenty of time on his side, considering he doesn't turn 20 until December.
Vardy also had a spell in non-league football when he was first making his way in the game, just like Archer did last season, which is something else the pair have in common.
Archer would be best off not looking too far ahead, and simply focusing on trying to get more game time at Villa this season. Once he has done that, we will have a better idea of exactly how good he is, and whether he can flourish at the highest level like Vardy has done for much of the past decade.