Emiliano Martinez: ‘Unai Emery is one of the top five managers in the world’
Aston Villa have not won a major trophy since the 1996 League Cup but Martinez also revealed his ambitions to end that run..
Emiliano Martinez labelled Aston Villa manager Unai Emery “one of the top five managers in the world” ahead of their Europa Conference League clash against AZ Alkmaar.
Tuesday marked a year since Emery took over the Midlands club, in which time he has guided them to a seventh place finish in the Premier League and has them sitting in the top five this term.
And Argentina number one Martinez heaped praise on the Spaniard.
“When he signed I was over the moon. For me, Unai Emery is one of the top five managers in the world right now,” Martinez told a press conference.
“I think his English improved a lot and that’s helped him.”
Former Arsenal and Paris St Germain boss Emery is no stranger to European success. He is a four-time Europa League winner, leading Sevilla to glory three seasons in a row between 2014 and 2016 before masterminding Villarreal’s 2021 final success over Manchester United.
Villa have not won a major trophy since the 1996 League Cup but Martinez revealed his ambitions to end that run.
He added: “It’s a club that wants to be in the Champions League and win a trophy. One of my conversations with Unai was about how to get there.
“I’m not here to waste time. Since I joined the club, we moved forward. I’ll try to put Aston Villa in the Champions League place.
“We expect a big atmosphere, a big game. We are more than ready. I’ve played in a World Cup final, so it’s just another game.”
Colombian striker Jhon Duran returned from international break with an injury and was not available for Villa’s 4-1 win over West Ham on Sunday.
Emery said: “The only truth is he was not available to play on Sunday because he was injured.
“We have to support and help him every day to focus on only football, each training and how he can improve.”
