Aston Villa academy wonder Omari Kellyman has been dealt a crushing new blow to his first-team chances at Villa Park as he shares a message to fans on his social media.

The Derby academy product, who joined Villa in March 2022, made his debut in August's Europa Conference League tie with Hibernian grabbing an assist for Leon Bailey and came off the bench in the Carabao Cup against Everton on 27 September.

Kellyman signed his first professional deal a year ago and it is said Villa view him as a player with serious potential which led to him signing a new contract to remain at Villa Park for the foreseeable future (AVFC official website, 1 November).

However, in a crushing new blow for the Aston Villa hotshot, the 18-year-old took to his personal Instagram account on Monday evening (13 November) to share that he'll be out of action for the rest of the year.

He posted on his Instagram story: "Gutted to be out for the rest of the year.

"Time to recover and I'll be back stronger."

The 18-year-old talent is certainly one of the most highly-regarded commodities in the Villa Park academy setup right now and it certainly seemed as if Emery may well have had big plans for him in the coming future.

However, those opportunities may not arrive pretty soon after this new development. It's unclear what kind of injury Kellyman sustained but this is a huge blow to his development after enjoying a stunning rise in the youth team and breaking through in Emery's starting XI.

In four Premier League 2 games, he registered four goals and registered once in two EFL Trophy appearances [Transfermarkt] marking him out as one of the most productive outlets in the youth team.

Kellyman has made Unai Emery's bench in the Premier League four times this season, so the boss does have a close eye on him and top-flight minutes are on the cards but the 18-year-old will certainly have to bide his time first.

And that time may have to be extended further after this recent injury development.

What's crucial is that Aston Villa see Kellyman as a key part of their burgeoning future under Unai Emery, and that's all the encouragement both he and his family need right now.

In other Aston Villa news, a senior man may have quit before he was pushed out of Villa Park by Monchi.

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