, Colchester snap up Aston Villa youngster

Colchester snap up Aston Villa youngster

Colchester United have continued to bolster their defensive ranks, after signing full-back Luke Ige.

As confirmed via Colchester’s official website, the 18-year-old has moved to Essex on a one-year deal after being released by Premier League new boys Aston Villa, and will initially join up with the academy squad.

He is a right-sided player and featured twice at full-back for the U’s under-23’s on trial in the closing weeks of the 2018-19 campaign, in their matches against Burnley and Crewe Alexandra.

He signed for Villa at the age of 15 and came through the academy ranks at the West Midlands club after signing on as a scholar at 16.

The teenager was involved in Aston Villa’s first-team pre-season preparations last summer but was deemed surplus to requirements after their promotion.

Ige joins centre-backs Matthew Weaire and Danny Collinge and the midfield duo of Sammie McLeod and Kwame Poku in linking up with the under-23 squad ahead of the new season.

It has been a summer of change for the younger age groups at the Colchester Community Stadium, after they let 12 youngsters go at the end of last season.

They have also had to deal with the departure of both the under-18 and under-23 managers after Chris Llewellyn and Kevin Horlock decided to leave their roles with the U’s.

Llewellyn has returned to Wales to link up with Carmarthen Town as their Head of Coaching.

He joined Colchester in 2017 from Swansea City and led the under-18’s to the FA Youth Cup quarter-finals in his first season in charge of the side, where they were eventually knocked out of the competition by Arsenal.

Former West Ham and Manchester City midfielder Horlock has departed after just one season in charge, to take up a job as academy manager for local non-league side Needham Market.

Horlock helped launch Needham’s academy eight years ago and has now returned to a position that he previously held for four years.

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