“He’s like a father to us” – Aston Villa player on teammate’s positive impact, coaching staff working to improve his game

Kosta Nedeljković remains confident of improving his game at Aston Villa with the help of the club’s coaching staff.

In the summer, the right-back arrived at Aston Villa, after they agreed a deal with Red Star Belgrade in January. He’s made three appearances for the Villans and has made it to the Serbia squad for September’s international break.

It was Aston Villa player’s first call up, and this gave Fudbalski savez Srbije’s [Serbian FA] official website, to have a detailed chat with him. The 18-year-old’s pace is one of his main assets and he insists that there’s no one faster than him at the Premier League side.

When asked about his weaknesses, the fullback explained the support he has to continue his development at Villa Park.

“Yes, speed and motor skills are what everyone sees, but everything requires a lot of work, improvement, especially with us young players. And the technique and the set up… I have great coaches at Aston Villa, we have a whole coaching staff dedicated to us and I think I have everything I need to improve,” he said.

The youngster was asked to give an insight into Unai Emery’s management at Aston Villa.

“If there’s one word, it’s passion. He has a very good relationship with all the players, he wants to help everyone, he is in the stadium from morning to night, always available to everyone,” Nedeljković explained.

“The passion and that fervour in him, always with you with the right advice, constantly tells what and how to do it, demonstrates, if necessary. He scouts the rivals brilliantly, I think he is tactically perfect.”

There’s another individual at Aston Villa who has left a positive impact on Nedeljković. That’s Emiliano Martínez.

“Dibu Martínez. He is like a father to all of us. He wants to help everyone, we would say ‘positively crazy’, great guy… He’s an amazing goalie,” he added.

“I’m fascinated by his motivation, he’s one of the best goalkeepers in the world, he’s an exceptional professional, he’s very hardworking and dedicated.”

Serbia will face Spain and Denmark in the UEFA Nations League and Nedeljković could make his debut for the national team in the next few days.