“It didn’t go well” – Midfielder recalls brief Aston Villa spell, helped him ‘mature’ and ‘gain experience’

Now a success at AS Roma following a good spell at Fiorentina, Jordan Veretout has landed on both feet after a small hiccup at Aston Villa.

The midfielder had signed for the Villans after coming through and excelling for FC Nantes in Ligue 1, with the Premier League side paying £9m to acquire his services.

While he made 29 appearances for Aston Villa and assisted his teammates five times, it was a tough campaign for Veretout, who was unable to help the side avoid relegation down to the Championship.

Not wanting to play in England’s second-tier, the now 28-year-old was then sent on loan to AS Saint-Etienne, where he earned enough recognition to then be picked up by Fiorentina in 2017 for £6.3m.

Speaking to Onze Mondial, Veretout was asked about his time at Aston Villa.

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He said: “That season, I matured, gained experience and met people. I left France for the first time, I discovered many new things. I was with my wife, we were by ourselves over there. I needed to integrate quickly. Everything went well. On a human level, it was a treat for us.

“We discovered a new culture and a new language. Football wise, it didn’t go well because we were relegated. But I got to play in the Premier League, one of the toughest leagues in the world”.

Currently injured, Veretout has still managed to have an excellent season for a midfielder at Roma, finding the back of the next 11 times and assisting another two goals in 38 appearances in all competitions.