Matt Maher: Aston Villa back up Unai Emery's optimism with bold Super Cup showing

It’s a strange fixture, to put it mildly, the Champions League and Europa League winners facing off in pre-season before either is at full strength.

Even with a trophy on the line, it is never going to approach the same intensity of a fixture played a month or so later.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t take encouragement from Villa’s performance in Wednesday’s defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.

In a match many believed they would be comfortably beaten, Unai Emery’s depleted team were instead left with a nagging sense of what might have been after creating more than enough chances to win.

This was 90 minutes to give you renewed hope for the season ahead, after a summer which has been marked by the loss of several key players, a reason to believe the bullishness shown by Emery and captain John McGinn during Tuesday’s pre-match press conference was well placed.

In Brian Madjo, meanwhile, the sense Villa have unearthed a genuine star continues to grow albeit, at 6ft 4in tall and more than 15 stone in weight, you wonder how many rivals could have missed him?

Praise of the 17-year-old’s previous performances were tempered by the opposition and the time of year.

But while it is one thing to bully defenders in July at Walsall, it is quite another to give Willian Pacho a night he’ll struggle to forget.

Neither could scoring your first senior goal against the two-time defending European champions ever be described as a minor feat, regardless of the occasion.

If there was a criticism, it was that Madjo should really have netted at least two more than the one he did. Ironically, his goal came from easily the toughest chance.

Such profligacy should provide the most clear reminder of the room he has left to grow yet if anything, the most encouraging aspect of his display was the attitude and heart shown in refusing to be downhearted as chances went begging.

To be fair, Madjo must have learned to put up with an awful lot in the eight months since he joined Villa in a £10million deal from Metz.

It was still only two weeks ago he had no idea whether he would be allowed to play in the Super Cup, or at any point before next January.

Villa’s successful appeal to the court of arbitration for sport, overturning Fifa’s initial ruling which prohibited Madjo from being registered before his 18th birthday, could turn out to be one of their most significant wins of the season.

At the very least, he has given Villa supporters a reason to be excited.

Madjo wasn’t the only teenager to catch the eye with midfielder George Hemmings, another youngster in whom Emery appears prepared to place his trust, also impressing.

Most notable of all is the mood of the manager.

This summer might have seen the departure of good players but Emery’s demeanour is markedly different to a year ago when the stagnation of Villa’s transfer window was the cause for huge frustration.

As the Spaniard noted post-match, further changes to his squad are likely before the end of the window but from here Villa should, theoretically, get stronger.

Even before the arrival of new signings there is experience and talent to be added to the group in the shape of Ollie Watkins, Ezri Konsa, Emi Martinez, Alejandro Garnacho and Johan Manzambi.

Watching on Wednesday, you couldn’t help feel Emery is right to be optimistic.