Aston Villa defender Frédéric Guilbert says he has gained ‘power, speed’ from his time in England as he thrives on loan at Strasbourg.
The Frenchman has been on loan with the Ligue 1 side since the end of January after falling down the pecking order under Dean Smith following the arrival of Matty Cash from Nottingham Forest.
He’s been a regular for them since, with three assists and one goal in seven Ligue 1 games so far.
His ability was on display in the 1-0 win over Monaco back at the beginning of March, a game in which he scored the winner for his side.
“I’ve always been a counter-attacking player,” he told L’Equipe.
“But I think that since my time in England, I have gained power, speed, and that makes the difference compared to my previous years in Ligue 1.”
A disappointing time at Aston Villa saw Guilbert leave in search of regular playing time in January, with a return to Ligue 1, where he cut his teeth in his younger days, making plenty of sense.
The 26-year-old enjoyed spells with the likes of Caen and Bordeaux before his move to Villa Park in 2019 in a £4.5m deal.
One man who played alongside him in the past was Alexander Dijku, and, alongside the physical changes, he’s noticed other differences in the Aston Villa man.
“He is less in the emotional side, less sensitive. He takes things less to heart. We felt he was coming from a big club,” he added.
“When I was asked in the dressing room what kind of player he was, I said he was very good defensively, but I hadn’t mentioned his attacking contribution.
“He has improved a lot in his quality of cross; he is even very good! He didn’t put in crosses like that at Caen.”
