Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has said that Sunderland star Granit Xhaka, who he worked with at Arsenal, is thinking about his future.
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Emery knows Xhaka better than anyone, having worked together for two years at Arsenal.
The Spaniard watched him develop into a true leader and saw what the Swiss midfielder could bring to the dressing room.
Now, with the two sides set to face each other at Villa Park on Sunday, the Villa manager has not been shy about praising his former player, while also revealing what the future holds for him.
Sunday afternoon’s Premier League clash with Sunderland, who host Villa, had real implications for both ends of the European debate.
The Villans sit fourth in the table and are closing in on a top-four finish, while Sunderland are 10th and just one win away from making a significant impact on the European race.
That’s quite a story for a club that was playing Championship football 12 months ago.
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This is welcome news for Regis Le Bris.
The timing could not be more complicated for Emery’s team.
Villa defeated Bologna 4-0 on Thursday night to move into the Europa League semi-finals 7-1 on aggregate and an All England showdown with Nottingham Forest now looms large.
Ollie Watkins marked the occasion with his 100th goal for the club and Villa will be desperate to keep the momentum going on both fronts.
But Emery will have no illusions about what Sunday will bring.
Sunderland defeated Spurs 1-0 at the Stadium of Light last weekend, which moved them into mid-table, just one point behind them in seventh place. So it’s not the kind of team that comes to Villa Park to park the bus and hope for the best.
The Black Cats may have Nilsson Angulo back from injury to play, but Xhaka is central to Sunderland.
Unai Emery talks about Granit Xhaka’s future plans
Asked about his former player during the preparations for the match, Emery enthusiastically described the 33-year-old as a leader in every sense of the word, a player who is already thinking about life in the dugout beyond his playing days.
“The experience[with Xhaka]was great. He’s a very good guy, very professional, a very good player,” Emery said.
“He’s had a great career. After going to Germany, he’s coming back here to Sunderland. I think it’s because he wants to continue competing at a high level.”
“I know he’s been practicing as much as he’s been practicing for his future as a coach, and he’s also a leader on the field. And he’s a very important player for them. He’s a leader, everything, offensively and defensively. Obviously, he’s always involved in their structure as a leader.”
“And like the other players, they have very good players. They have come through this situation and performed well. And he is very important, Granit Xhaka, how is he doing?”
The former Gunner has been a revelation in every sense of the word since joining the Regis Le Bris team.
His average match rating of 7.30 has made him the team’s overall standout this season (FotMob), and his five assists in league play have also earned him recognition as the team’s chief creator.
Xhaka himself was bullish after Spurs’ win, calling on the football world to show more respect to Sunderland and reminding everyone that when he signed for Sunderland he was given a 2 per cent chance of staying.
Survival was secured long ago, but now its ambitions have moved on to something more exciting.
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