‘Looked At Football Differently’ – Aston Villa Man Admits Unai Emery Effect | OneFootball

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Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa has stressed the importance of Unai Emery in improving his game and revealed that the Spaniard has changed how he views football.

Konsa’s rise at Villa Park has been impressive and the defender is part of Thomas Tuchel’s England squad as he eyes the World Cup.

The 24-year-old completed the full 90 minutes on Thursday evening as England beat Serbia 2-0 in a World Cup qualifier; it matched the score prediction in our match preview.

Tuchel is a firm fan of the Aston Villa man and Konsa, on his part, gives credit to his club manager Emery for helping aid his development as a defender in recent years.

Seconding former Premier League winger Perry Groves’ opinion on Emery, Konsa insisted that he has started to look at football differently since the 54-year-old took over at Villa Park.

The defender believes he is heading into his peak years and is keen to continue growing as a player under the Spaniard.

“Working under Unai the last few seasons has been really important”, Konsa said at a press conference (5:10).

“I’ve looked at football differently, the way he has wanted us to play, his style of play and mine has been amazing in my growth in football.

“Look, I am 28. They say you go into your prime now, so I feel really good at the moment.

“I’m playing a lot of games and hopefully I can stay consistent throughout the whole season.”

Konsa’s progress at Aston Villa is unlikely to have gone unnoticed and Villa could well find themselves dealing with clubs keen to sign him at some point.

It was suggested last year that both Chelsea and Manchester United are keeping tabs on Konsa.

The defender could further boost his value with a good World Cup and one former Aston Villa star admitted recently the centre-back is in pole position to be in the Three Lions side next summer.