Unai Emery’s impact at Aston Villa has set the club on a new course, and Champions League football is perhaps the major sign of that so far.
Players who have been along for the ride often talk about just what an impact the Spaniard has had on the squad and the general feeling within it.
Lucas Digne has been one of those players to have benefitted the most. The 31-year-old returned to the France team in September after more than two years away from Didier Deschamps’ XI.
It was a big deal for the Frenchman, and he’s expected to again be named in the France squad when it’s announced this week.
Ahead of that, Digne has been speaking to the country’s media and a lot of the chat was inevitably about his time at Aston Villa so far.
All of that experience has made Digne the man he is and he feels it’s taken him to the height of his powers: “I feel like I’m playing the best football of my career. I’m a happy footballer, a happy man and a happy father. I love what I do and I just want to enjoy every day and every moment.”