Aston Villa’s iconic figure, Lee Hendrie, has expressed his joy at the team’s achievement in securing the top spot in their Europa Conference League group on Thursday night. Speaking on Sky Sports News, Hendrie conveyed the widespread excitement among everyone associated with Villa. However, he voiced a concern about the potential impact of this success on manager Unai Emery’s future.
The Villans solidified their place in the last 16 of the Europa Conference League with a draw against Zrinjski Mostar. Nicolo Zaniolo’s goal in the 61st minute, from John McGinn’s cross, opened the scoring for Villa. Despite a late effort from Matija Malekinusic causing some tension, Emery’s team held on to finish at the top of Group E, just one point ahead of Legia Warsaw.
Hendrie is optimistic about Villa’s chances of winning the Europa Conference League and looked ahead to their performance in the Premier League. He emphasized the positive campaign and the collective excitement within the Villa community. However, his concern lies in the potential interest in Unai Emery from other clubs.
Hendrie highlighted the long-term plan at Villa, aiming to return to European competition and establish themselves among the top five. He believes that Villa, with their impressive forward line, has a significant opportunity to clinch the Europa Conference League. Looking ahead to January, Hendrie speculates that reinforcing the squad could further elevate Villa’s standing in the Premier League.
Under Unai Emery’s management, Aston Villa has experienced a remarkable transformation, becoming an exciting and successful team. While acknowledging the likelihood of outside interest in Emery’s services, Hendrie expressed hope that the manager would prioritize finishing the job at Villa Park before considering other opportunities.
The next challenge for Aston Villa is a Premier League fixture against Brentford on Sunday.
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