'Superstar'. Ask Aston Villa staff about coach Unai Emery and that is the word you usually hear. For their first two seasons, the club relied on an elite footballer for an inspiration. Eighteen months after Jack Grealish left, they have thrown in their lot with an elite coach.
Villa's past and present are likely to collide on Sunday, with Grealish set to make his first start for Manchester City against his boyhood club, since his departure for £100million in August 2021. After trying – and failing – to replace his impact on the pitch, Villa decided to do it in the dugout instead, hiring one of Europe's best when they sacked Steven Gerrard last November.