‘Scares the life’ - £51m Aston Villa star gets glowing praise from Leeds United & Liverpool man

Former Blackburn Rovers, Leeds United and Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock has been waxing lyrical about one of Aston Villa's expensive summer signings.

Unai Emery was backed well by the board after guiding the team from being around the relegation zone to qualifying for the Europa Conference League. He brought in several high-profile names, and fans have had new players to cheer this season.

Without a doubt the most biggest coup seems to be Moussa Diaby who was signed for a reported club record £51.9m from Bundesliga outfit Bayer Leverkusen.

The large fee has not deterred Diaby, and so far he has got two goals and two assists in six league matches, and now he’s earning some praise from a former Villain.

Stephen Warnock, a left-back during his 16-year playing career, admitted that those who play in the position he did are scared of him, and listed what he liked about the France international.

"Diaby has been outstanding, what an addition he has been to the Aston Villa team," he said on Sky Sports News.

"Creativity, pace to burn, and he scares the life out of defenders, he's been outstanding."

Warnock was fairly complementary towards his former club, of whom he played for three years. He was at Villa from 2009 to 2013, and played under the likes of Gerard Houllier, Alex McLeish and Paul Lambert.

The present day Villa team currently sit sixth in the Premier League standings with four wins and to defeats in their opening six games. Emery has had to contend with long-term injuries to Emi Buendia and Tyrone Mings, as well as some knocks and niggles but has come out earning praise from a Premier League veteran.

He said: "They're doing alright aren't they? The big thing is Unai Emery is doing an outstanding job isn't he? They rode their luck at times, but again he's a top manager, tactically very sound and he's getting a tune out of all his players.

"They've had big injuries as well losing Buendia (Emi) and Tyrone Mings, that's not easy to deal with as well.”