Aston Villa lost 4-2 in a friendly against Real Sociedad, but head coach Unai Emery took encouragement from the performances of several young players ahead of the new season. Teenage striker Brian Madjo impressed with a well-taken equaliser, while other academy prospects also featured heavily, offering a glimpse of Villa's future squad depth as the club deals with a summer of departures and injuries.

Madjo, an England Under-17 international who joined from Metz for £10m in January, cannot yet play competitively for Villa while the club appeals to the Court of Arbitration for Sport over his registration as an under-18 signed outside the EU. At 6ft 4in and likened to Romelu Lukaku, he could provide cover for Ollie Watkins and Tammy Abraham once eligible. Villa were missing several first-team regulars, including their World Cup contingent and new signings still finalising moves, while goals from Carlos Soler, Orri Oskarsson, Gorka Carrera and Inaki Ruperez secured victory for the La Liga side after George Hemmings had put Villa ahead.