Aston Villa are unrecognisable from the team that Unai Emery took over late in 2022 following less than a year under the stewardship of Steven Gerrard.
Unai Emery has transformed Aston Villa from potential relegation fodder to a Champions League club in a remarkably short amount of time.
The Spanish coach is adored by the Villa Park faithful for the job he has done, but Emery shows no signs of resting on his laurels after a busy summer of preparing his squad to compete with Europe’s elite.
Eight signings have arrived this summer if you include the unexpected return of Cameron Archer from Sheffield United, with Douglas Luiz and Moussa Diaby’s exits the only significant departures.
- READ MORE: What Douglas Luiz just did on Juventus debut shows Unai Emery has Aston Villa problem to fix quickly
Aston Villa will not want to lose any other important members of their squad, but former Premier League winner Lee Sharpe has revealed which of Emery’s players he would love to sign for Manchester United.
Lee Sharpe would ‘love’ Ollie Watkins to sign for Manchester United
Villa upset a number of the traditional ‘Big Six’ in the Premier League last season as they secured a top four finish ahead of the likes of Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester United.
They also finished above newly-rich Newcastle United who had achieved a similar feat a year earlier.
All of this alongside a run to the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League showed just how impressive Villa’s season was.
There were a number of remarkable performers last season and none more so than Ollie Watkins, who registered 40 goals contributions in what was the best campaign of his career.
- READ MORE: Ollie Watkins says he has adopted Unai Emery tactic key to Aston Villa’s Champions League success
Lee Sharpe knows a thing or two about what it takes to play at the top level having won three Premier League titles at Manchester United and has revealed that Watkins is the Villa player he would most like to sign for his former club.
Sharpe said: “I love Ollie Watkins. I’d love Watkins to sign for United.”
Sharpe went on to add about Villa: “Villa are my childhood team. They’re going to have a really good go at the Champions League and surprise a few people.
“With a good draw and a slight bit of luck in certain games, they’ve got every chance of going deep in the competition.”
Aston Villa would never sell Watkins to Manchester United this summer
Whilst Sharpe’s Watkins transfer was the stuff of fantasy, it would not be a surprise if the Villa man was a player under consideration at Old Trafford this summer.
Instead, Erik ten Hag’s side signed Joshua Zirkzee to compete with Rasmus Hojlund to lead the line for Manchester United this season.
What really tells the story of how far villa have come, though, is not only would they not need to sell Watkins regardless of the size of any offer but that the player himself would be unlikely to want to trade Villa for Manchester United.
United are undoubtedly one of the biggest clubs in world football, but they are in a precarious state whilst Emery’s Villa continue to rise at a meteoric rate.
With that in mind, Sharpe is unlikely to get his wish anytime in the near future.
