Stephen Warnock spent four years with Aston Villa but never got the chance to play under Unai Emery.
The now 42-year-old began his playing career with Liverpool and enjoyed spells at Coventry City and Blackburn Rovers before joining Aston Villa.
Stephen Warnock moved to Villa Park in August 2009 for around £9m, spending four years in the Midlands.
The former right-back made 101 career appearances for the Midlands outfit in all competitions, scoring three and assisting seven – his second-most outings for any club behind Blackburn.
After a loan move to Bolton Wanderers, Warnock then left Aston Villa on a free transfer, joining Leeds United.
The ex-defender eventually hung up his boots in 2018 after spending time with Burton Albion and is now working as a pundit.
What Aston Villa players told Stephen Warnock about Unai Emery
Villa were fairly decent when Warnock was on their books but have now been taken to another level by Unai Emery.
The Spaniard, despite Aston Villa’s success over the last 12 months, remains one of the more underrated managers in the Premier League.
Now, speaking ahead of Aston Villa vs Bournemouth on Saturday, as per BBC Sport, Warnock has shared what the current crop of Villa players have told him about Emery, with every star making the same couple of points.
He said: “I love the manager, I think Unai Emery’s unbelievable. He’s the type of manager I’d have loved to have worked with.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to sit down with a couple of the Villa players and they’ve said the level of detail that goes into every training session and the improvement they’ve had in their game has been tenfold.”
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Stephen Warnock gives verdict on Aston Villa Champions League run
As well as excelling in the Premier League, Villa have been in top form in Europe this season under Emery.
The former Arsenal coach has made history with his current side as, along with Leicester City and Malaga, Aston Villa are now just one of three teams to win their opening three matches in the Champions League.
And after they beat Bologna 2-0 on Tuesday, Jhon Duran was named in the Champions League Team of the Week.
Now, Warnock has also shared his thoughts on how his former side are faring in Europe’s premier competition.
He said: “The start Aston Villa have made in the Champions League has been phenomenal – three clean sheets and beating Bayern Munich at home.
“I don’t think many teams will want to go up against Villa.
“That Villarreal team was a team of Premier League misfits and suddenly Emery got them to a Champions League semi-final. When you look at him as a manager, he’s the advantage Villa have over a lot of teams.”
