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Sherwood spotted at Swindon Town scouting Tottenham youth product

Massimo Luongo has found success for Australia and Swindon Town. Could Villa be his next destination?

Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

On Tuesday, an observant member of the BBC radio staff snapped a picture of Tim Sherwood at Swindon Town's 4-1 win at Rochdale. But this didn't seem to be a casual evening game for the Villa manager, as rumors suggest he was scouting Swindon's Massimo Luongo, a 22-year-old Australian midfielder.

Luongo, who has scored 6 goals for the Robins in league action this year, moved to Swindon from Tottenham at the beginning of the 2013 season; the same year Sherwood would replace André Villas-Boas as the first-team coach. Sherwood's policy to promote youth in his sides has been well-documented, as we've recently seen more appearances of Jack Grealish. Could Timmy make a move for a youngster he's already familiar with?

The Australian only appeared once for the senior Spurs team, in a League Cup loss against Stoke City. But after a loan to Ipswich Town and a loan-turned-permanent move to Swindon, the youngster seems to be finding his feet. He has also been heralded as a player who could have a crucial part in future of the Australian National team, especially after being named player of the tournament in this year's AFC Asian Cup, which Australia won back in January.

Premier League teams have taken notice of his recent success. Besides Aston Villa, teams such as Crystal Palace, Queens Park Rangers, and West Ham have all been tracking Luongo's progress, and that's only within England, as teams in Germany and Spain are keeping tabs as well.

Sherwood obviously has two major tasks in front of him: Premier League survival and the semi-final of the F.A. Cup. However, it will certainly be interesting to see how he handles his business in the summer transfer window. Paul Lambert was fond of finding young talent within the lower leagues - could Sherwood adopt a similar approach?