Unai Emery identifies Aston Villa star who has 'work to do' this season in candid admission
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Aston Villa have enjoyed a strong start to the 2024/25 Premier League season - their efforts have seen them rise to fourth in the league table, above the likes of Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United.
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Hide AdNevertheless, Villa head coach Unai Emery has suggested he’s not content with a particular member of the squad. Leon Bailey, who was outstanding for the Villans last season, has been singled out as a player who has ‘work to do’ by the former Arsenal boss.
Additionally, Emery also spoke on Jaden Philogene. He, too, has not quite reached the level that audiences may have expected as of yet - however, the Spaniard insists that he will begin to turn in strong performances once he feels ‘confident’.
Journalist Jacob Tanswell featured a quote from Emery on his official X (formerly Twitter) page, which reads: “There's still work to do with Leon Bailey to get to the same level as last year. With Jaden, he needs minutes to get confident. McGinn and Maatsen played well. Kosta needs minutes to get experience. After my analysis, I am going to see how we can improve with them.”
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Hide AdSo far this season, Bailey has made 14 appearances across all competitions for the Villans. He has failed to score a goal so far - he has, however, managed to rack up a total of three assists.
In comparison, last season, Bailey scored no less than 14 goals and registered as many assists over the course of 52 games in all competitions. However, in the previous campaign, he did not seem to hit his stride until midway through the season - perhaps he will begin to ramp up his performances as time draws on.
Despite this, Bailey will need to pick up the pace sooner, rather than later - with the inspired form of Morgan Rogers, it is difficult to justify his place in the starting XI at this moment.