Leander Dendoncker gives Unai Emery insight and drops new Aston Villa coaches hint
Latest Aston Villa news from BirminghamLive as Leander Dendoncker opens up about Unai Emery's first few days as his new head coach
Leander Dendoncker has given an insight into how the Aston Villa squad are adapting to life under Unai Emery.
The former Arsenal manager began work at Bodymoor Heath on Wednesday after receiving his work permit. Villa managed to lure the Spanish coach from Villarreal, who Emery led to the fourth Europa League title of his managerial career against Manchester United in 2021.
The same opponents are next up for Villa, with the 51-year-old preparing to take charge of his first game at Villa Park. Arriving with a stellar reputation for his work across Europe, Dendoncker has explained how the Villa side responded to Emery’s appointment and hinted at the manager’s new backroom staff, that are yet to be confirmed by the club.
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“I think it’s obviously a manager who is quite famous and has been at big clubs before,” the midfielder told Villa TV . “ I think he’s brought a lot of people with him as well, who are all Spanish.
“So it’s a new manager, new philosophy, probably a new way of playing. Everything is new so we’ll have to see what he will bring to us.
“The previous manager had a way of thinking and then Aaron (Danks) came in and he had his way of thinking and seeing things. For us as a group, it’s always about trying to accommodate and adapt to what they want. It’s a new start for everyone and hopefully we can achieve good things together.”
Following the sacking of Steven Gerrard last month, Aaron Danks was placed in temporary charge and oversaw an uplifting 4-0 win over Brentford at B6. Though Villa followed this with a bitterly disappointing loss to Newcastle, Dendoncker spoke about the positive effect that the Villa Park crowd can have on the team ahead of facing Man United.
“I started against Brentford and that was my first start for Villa at home,” he continued. “We scored really fast and then the crowd got behind us and it was unbelievable.
“The atmosphere was really great, and they pushed us to the goals that followed after the first one. It’s of massive importance to play at home on Sunday against Manchester United. They’re a good team and a big club. We will definitely need them (the fans).”
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