Amadou Onana says Unai Emery has “something special” after Aston Villa resurgence | OneFootball

Aston Villa star Amadou Onana has praised manager Unai Emery for masterminding the club’s resurgence after their dreadful start to the season.

Villa started the season winless in their opening five Premier League games (D3, L2). They were also eliminated from the League Cup in the third round, losing on penalties to Brentford following a 1-1 draw.

However, they have roared back to life in remarkable fashion, winning six of their last seven games across all competitions, including their most recent 1-0 victory over Manchester City at Villa Park.

Matty Cash’s 19th-minute strike was enough to seal maximum points for Villa, celebrating his new contract in style.

Villa’s only defeat in that outstanding run came in a shock 2-1 loss against mid-table Eredivisie outfit Go Ahead Eagles in the Europa League.

That defeat ended Villa’s winning streak at five games, but they bounced back against City and now sit eighth in the Premier League table, two points behind fourth-placed Sunderland.

“This is football,” Onana said (via Birmingham Live). “Anything can happen. We were in quite poor form in the beginning, but we managed, as a team, to turn it around.

“It is just hard work, dedication and belief in the manager’s plan – belief in the quality we have in the team.

“We know in the end if we had a season like last season, we can definitely reproduce it because for me, it is the same team. We are definitely capable of much more.”

Onana marked his return from a hamstring injury just before the international break and has started in each of Villa’s last three games.

After helping Emery celebrate his third anniversary at Villa with a stunning victory against City, Onana lavished praise on the Spanish tactician.

“A lot of professionalism and working in detail,” Onana added. “He has such a lot of experience. He knows what it takes to succeed at the highest level. That is what he brings.

“When someone has been four times European champion, it can’t happen by luck. The man has something special, and we all trust him and follow him.”