U20 WWC Stars: Rachel Maltby. Aston Villa’s future who could have been an Olympic swimmer

England's Young Lionesses reached the knockout stages of the U20 World Cup as expected, although their route there was not entirely straightforward. They drew with Canada and lost to Brazil in their final group game. Yet amid an England side that has not always been convincing, one player has consistently stood out. Aston Villa fans will already know her well. Her name is Rachel Maltby.

Four goals and one assist. With those numbers, Maltby sits joint-second in the goalscoring charts after the group stage of the U20 World Cup currently taking place in Poland. She rescued a point against Canada, scored a hat-trick in the emphatic win over Tanzania and then provided an assist against Brazil.

It would be an impressive return for a forward. For a player listed as a defender, it is even more striking.

Maltby has spent much of her development as an attacking player before establishing herself as a full-back, and those instincts have never really disappeared. Her offensive qualities mean she can also be deployed further forward on the wing, something England have been willing to make use of in Poland. Watching her play, the distinction between the two positions can sometimes feel almost irrelevant.

A new generation of full-backs

Her performances at the U20 World Cup are not the first indication that Maltby might be a name worth remembering. Aston Villa Women have made significant progress in recent years, even if they are yet to reach the level of Arsenal, Chelsea or Manchester City. Their academy has not historically produced the same volume of first-team talent as some of their rivals, either. Maltby could represent the beginning of something different.

So where did her story begin?

Maltby grew up in Northamptonshire and started playing football at around six years old with the Long Buckby boys' team. Her pathway was not entirely linear. For several years, she stepped away from football to focus on gymnastics and swimming before eventually returning to the game and later playing for the Rushden & Diamonds boys' team. It was there that a scout from Aston Villa's men's setup spotted her.

Maltby joined the Villa academy at U14 level and gradually worked her way through the club's system. The left-back we see today, however, grew up as a considerably more attacking player and that part of her game has remained with her. Although she is generally listed as a defender, she is comfortable playing on the wing and frequently occupies spaces far higher up the pitch than the traditional idea of a full-back would suggest.

Maltby belongs to an emerging generation of full-backs for whom the name of the position tells us increasingly little about where we will actually find them during a game.

Smilla Holmberg is another example. The Swedish international, born in the same year as Maltby, joined Arsenal from Hammarby in January 2026 and is similarly capable of pushing extremely high from right-back. Her ability to progress the ball and contribute in the final third has quickly become one of the most distinctive elements of her game.

Holmberg finished last season with eight goals and assists despite only arriving at Arsenal in January and often appearing from the bench. For both 19-year-olds, attacking is not simply an added bonus to their defensive work. It is part of their footballing identity.

From the academy to the WSL

But back to Maltby.

First, she had to prove that those qualities could translate into senior football. Her first opportunities with Aston Villa's senior team came during the 2024/25 season, when her WSL appearances were still brief introductions rather than an established role.

During the 2025/26 WSL season, Maltby made 16 league appearances, starting 11 of them and playing more than 900 minutes. In a relatively short period of time, she went from a teenager moving between academy and senior football to a player Villa were willing to trust with a meaningful role in their season.

For a club looking to build a stronger pathway between its academy and first team, that matters. Maltby was not a young player signed shortly before breaking into senior football. Villa had watched her develop inside their own system from the age of 13.

The contract that made it official

The first formal indication that Villa saw Maltby as part of their longer-term future had already arrived on 28 March 2025, when she signed her first professional contract.

After years in the club's academy, she was no longer simply another prospect waiting for an opportunity with the first team. She was a professional Aston Villa player.

At a club whose academy she had never initially been trying to join. Sometimes, football has other plans for you. And judging by what Maltby is doing at the U20 World Cup, plenty of Young Lionesses supporters will be rather grateful that it did.