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Aston Villa have snapped up a promising teenager from Southampton’s highly-rated academy.

Isaac Nehemie confirmed on his Twitter account that he has signed professional terms with the claret and blues.

The 18-year-old left-sided player’s full-time scholarship arrangement at Saints was due to expire this summer.

Nehemie was originally on the books of Crystal Palace, but was picked up by Sparsholt football academy near Winchester on an academy programme combining football and academic studies.

Confirming his move to Villa on his Twitter profile @_IsaacN , he went on to say: “Been a proper emotional day! But guess it’s the start of something new hopefullu thanks to everyone that has supported me!”

Villa’s Bodymoor Heath academy emerged as the best in the country during an audit under the Barclays Premier League Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP) in November 2012.

Southampton’s academy is also highly-rated having produced current first team stars Luke Shaw and Adam Lallana and former Saints stars Gareth Bale, Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade Chamberlain.