Unai Emery has been wowed by an Aston Villa player who was signed by Dean Smith back in 2020.
The Spaniard could easily laud most of his squad in a season with so many standout performers.
Ollie Watkins has taken his finishing to another level in front of goal, John McGinn has seen his game reach new heights, and Leon Bailey has firmly turned his stuttering Villa career around.
The Spaniard himself also deserves immense credit.
Emery’s coaching has seen players who weren’t fit to wear the shirt under Steven Gerrard into a group on the verge of a historic European and domestic campaign.
Unai Emery lauds Aston Villa player who Dean Smith signed for £17million
The Europa Conference League win over Lille on Thursday was nail-biting, to say the least. Did Villa deserve the penalty shootout victory? Probably not. Will anyone at Villa Park care? Absolutely not.
A sign of an excellent team is to get the job done when not at their best, and that’s precisely what Emery’s side did.
Emi Martinez was a key man on Thursday, saving two penalties to send his side through to the last four. The Argentine’s antics certainly riled up the home fans in northern France, but ultimately, his ability to take the spotlight away from his teammates helped.
Emery was full of praise for the player Smith signed for £17million back in 2020.
He said: “Emi Martinez has his personality. He is a leader with his experiences and his attitude. He wishes to get something important. He really is brilliant. In the shootout, he was fantastic.”
34-year-old Aston Villa ace must now step up in Europa Conference League semi-final
Unfortunately for Villa, Martinez will now be suspended for the first leg against Olympiacos. The keeper was booked in the first half on Thursday for time-wasting. He was also booked in the shootout; however, due to a little-known rule, he wasn’t dismissed.
Nevertheless, due to him picking up three yellow cards over the two legs against Lille, he will now miss Villa’s next UECL clash.
Robin Olsen will likely replace Martinez in goal after his commendable performance against Manchester City. The Swede was thrown in at the deep end and stood up relatively well to City’s immense firepower at The Etihad.
Emery will have every faith in the 34-year-old being able to step up in what will easily be Villa’s biggest game of the season.
The post Unai Emery says £17m Aston Villa star who Dean Smith signed ‘really is brilliant’ appeared first on Aston Villa News.