Amadou Onana makes 'completely different' Everton admission after £50m Aston Villa transfer
Amadou Onana spoke to the media ahead of Aston Villa's Champions League league phase clash against Club Brugge
Aston Villa midfielder Amadou Onana believes Unai Emery has already improved his game and claims he is a "completely different player" to when he was at Everton.
The 23-year-old joined Villa for £50m in July and signed a long-term contract with the club after impressing at Euro 2024 with his nation. He scored in each of Villa's first three away games in all competitions this season and has made a total of 13 appearances under Emery, who he trusts to develop him in the coming years.
"Unai has added a lot to my game," Onana said ahead of Villa's match with Club Brugge on Wednesday night. "I think I am a completely different player if you compare it to last season at Everton. He has added bits to my game which I didn’t have before.
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"I am really, really grateful and thankful for that. My start has been good, but it could have been better. I can still improve on different aspects and parts of my game. I am learning day by day. The manager is one of the best in the business. I am looking forward to continue working with him on a daily basis."
Asked what he thinks he can improve on, Onana said: "I think more and more on the ball, with my physicality everyone knows I play with a lot of duels and intensity but on the ball I can definitely improve."
Onana could make his 12th Champions League appearance on Wednesday as Villa go in search of their fourth consecutive victory in the competition. The midfielder has completed 51 of his 52 pass attempts while under high-intensity pressure in the Champions League this season and of all players to attempt at least 20 such passes, this was the highest completion rate across the first three matchdays.
"In this team we have top, top professionals, they know what it’s about to play on the highest possible level," Onana said about the club's perfect start in the league phase. "The Champions League is a prestigious competition, but it is no different to any other big tournament.
"We’ve got a manager who's been at the highest level, won Europa Leagues and played at Champions League multiple times and knows what it takes to get us there. It’s a big plus to have him guiding him throughout the competition."