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Aston Villa notebook: What we learned from Real Sociedad defeat Villa were seen off by Real Sociedad at Bescot but it was a useful exercise for boss Unai Emery and his side. The goals flowed in Walsall as visitors Real Sociedad struck a couple of late efforts to see off Villa 4-2 on Tuesday night. The Copa del Rey champions proved good competition for Unai Emery’s men, with the scoreline level at 1-1 at half-time and 2-2 on the hour before a raft of changes distorted things somewhat. Unsurprisingly there was no new recruit Alejandro Garnacho or skipper John McGinn for Villa despite beginning training this week. They will join colleagues on the Far East tour. Exciting teen looks Real deal He only played the first 45 minutes but the standout performer on the night from a Villa perspective was George Hemmings. The 19-year-old opened the scoring in the early stages with a cultured finish across the goal and in off the far post. It was the highlight of a first half in which he dazzled fans with a range of flicks and tricks. But midfielder, who played out on the left, is not just a show-pony, he looks physically strong and at times Sociedad could not handle him. There have been murmurs of Albion loan interest in recent days. It is understood that move will not happen this summer and, as things stand, the former Nottingham Forest schoolboy looks like one of Villa’s finest prospects. Busy Gomes finding feet New £35million midfield recruit Gomes got a very useful 75 minutes under his belt at the base of Villa’s midfield, alongside Ross Barkley. The former Wolves man has a bit of everything to his game, though against Brazilian stereotypes he is more about the physical energy than technical flair. There were some messy parts, the odd stray long pass, but Gomes stuck at it and kept trying to influence the game. His movement and desire to break into the final third can serve Villa well this season. He has the power and desire to burst into attacking areas and trouble the Spaniard’s backline. More minutes for clinical Madjo It is difficult not to be excited by 17-year-old frontman Brian Madjo, who continues to catch the eye. The teen was Villa’s only player to enjoy the full 90 minutes - more sign of faith from Emery, and there was no sign of overburdening Madjo with the pressure of expectation as an excitable PA announcer addressed him as a “goalscoring machine”. At 6ft 4ins the towering frontman is no shrinking violet when it comes to wrestling defenders. He was on the fringes at times, but kept his cool well for the second-half equaliser. As it stands he cannot feature competitively until turning 18 in January. But very much one to watch. Duo return relief Emi Buendia missed out of the 2-1 defeat against Porto in Portugal last weekend, so it was a relief to see the Argentinean back among the action as he got 75 minutes and showed his class to set up Madjo. But the bigger cheer was reserved for defender Pau Torres, who played his first minutes of pre-season with the entire second half. The Spaniard was reported to have felt discomfort upon a return to pre-season, sparking unfounded online fears it could be a serious injury. But Torres looked in decent nick against his compatriots, albeit part of a young second half side. There was still no sign of Boubacar Kamara, who was said to be targeting a pre-season return. Leon Bailey also missed out with a knock picked up in Portugal.