West Brom's Samuel Iling-Junior only focusing on the here and now while away from Aston Villa

The Villa winger, who is currently on loan at Albion, already lists Chelsea, Juventus, Villa, Bologna, Middlesbrough and the Baggies on his resume.

It has already been quite the journey for Iling-Junior, from Highbury in north London. But it was in the west of the capital at Chelsea he spent his formative years, from eight to 16.

The fact he jumped at the chance to move to Italy in 2020 as a 16 year old, when the world was gripped by the pandemic, gives a snapshot into Iling-Junior's reserved but steely character.

The skilful and pacy wideman progressed to feature an impressive 45 times for the Turin club's first team before a move back to these shores and Villa Park, with Juve colleague Enzo Barrenechea, as part of the deal that saw Douglas Luiz bound for Italy.

Iling-Junior could barely settle in the West Midlands before he moved back to Italy, this time with Bologna. There he played Champions League football before spending the second half of last season sampling his first taste of the senior English game with Middlesbrough. He liked it and wanted more and then came the Baggies.

Iling-Junior, also an England under-21 European champion, said of Villa's pre-season: "I was a big part of it. I think it was just more of a discussion of where do I see myself going this season? I had a little spell of playing at Middlesbrough and I really enjoyed that. I don't want to have a season where I'm on and off the bench. So I just had to think about playing.

"At the minute it's just day-by-day. I can't think about the end of the season just yet, just because I don't know what's going to happen.

"So it's just day-by-day and just give 100 per cent every day."

Iling-Junior may have been a regular in Villa friendlies during his two pre-seasons at the club but he has yet to make a competitive appearance for Unai Emery's side.

He has, however, curiously played against them.

The winger was a substitute for Bologna away at parent club Villa in the Champions League last October as the hosts ran out 2-0 winners. He was well received by the Villa Park faithful.

"I'm definitely grateful for that," he smiled. "Especially because I haven't played for Villa or done anything for them. For them to have some support towards me, it was much appreciated."

And what of dealings with Emery? "He's very intense but a very calm guy at the same time," added the winger. "He's very calm, easy going. When it's on the pitch, he's like 'this is how I want things done'. But as a person, a lovely person, we had a conversation and that was good.

"In both pre-seasons I've had with him I've learned a big chunk and that's about how he plays his football and everyone else is different.

"He's got a winner's mentality. When I hear him speak, you think he accepts nothing less than winning. He's obsessed with football."

Iling-Junior, loaned by the Baggies on deadline day, has made a decent start at The Hawthorns. He scored and played a key contribution to a goal in his first two starts.

"They are in touch, and they keep checking," he said of his parent club. "They've got a loan system, so they've got a management that keeps in contact with us, sees how we're feeling, makes sure that we're good. They're really good with that."