Jamie Redknapp's gushing tribute to Unai Emery after Arsenal debacle as he dubs Aston Villa star 'a revelation'

Former Liverpool midfielder, Jamie Redknapp
-Credit: (Image: Reach Publishing Services Limited)


Jamie Redknapp admits Unai Emery was as good as written off for English football after 18 months at Arsenal – and how his ‘fantastic’ work at Aston Villa is proving everyone wrong.

Redknapp is on Sky Sports duty today as Villa take on Ipswich Town in the Premier League, with Emery becoming the fastest Villa manager to 50 victories since the Second World War and having guided the club into the Champions League.

It is player development, too, which has caught the eye of Redknapp and particularly the case of Morgan Rogers, who has gone from frustrating loans at Bournemouth and Blackpool while on the books of Manchester City to quickly becoming one of the form players in the top flight.

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Redknapp said: “When he took that hit at Arsenal we all questioned if he was right for the Premier League, but he’s come back and been fantastic. The football they play – and it feels like he improves players, the likes of Jacob Ramsey, Morgan Rogers, bringing him in has been a revelation. I don’t know where his ceiling is, he’s that good.

“If you’re Ipswich today, Rogers' has almost got to that point where you have to have special plans for certain players. The way he comes in and plays off Watkins, how he can pick the ball up in midfield in tight areas, goes past people. He’s so difficult to stop. You have to congratulate the manager for that because he’s making players better, improving them every day, making them disciplined.

“Those are the details you want to hear. Players want to be educated about how to get better and he’s certainly one of those managers.”

Former Villa player Ashley Young, alongside Redknapp today, explained how Emery wanted to put his stamp on the club quickly after taking over from Steven Gerrard.

He said: “He wanted to put his stamp on the team and he wanted to do it straightaway. He wanted help from the players too. He wants players to talk to him and you’d go into meetings and he’s want to find out everything about the club.

“He wanted to change a few things when he first got there and you can see what he’s like as a manager, he wants to play football, he takes responsibility if things don’t go right that he’s worked on in training.

“He’s just one of those managers who lives and breathes football. He turns up at the training ground at 6am and doesn’t leave until 9pm. Just everything. He wants to be a winner, he wants to be successful and he wants success for the club.”

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