The brutal message that turned failing Aston Villa player into key man under Unai Emery

Unai Emery has praised Lucas Digne's transformation at Aston Villa

Lucas Digne has been one of Aston Villa's most consistent players since the start of last season, something which Unai Emery might not have expected when he arrived at the club.

Signed under Steven Gerrard in January 2022, Digne joined Villa with plenty of expectation, but struggled to make an impression on Emery once he took over from the Liverpool legend two years ago. The left-back scored in Emery's first game in charge of Villa - the 3-1 win over Manchester United - but lost his place in the starting XI shortly after the New Year following the arrival of Alex Moreno from Real Betis.

Moreno started 14 of the 20 Premier League games which Villa had remaining of the 2022/23 season, while Digne only played five times from the off. As Moreno was injured in pre-season last year and missed the start of the campaign, Digne had the opportunity to win back his place in the side and he took it with both hands.

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"Lucas is really amazing in how he was doing his process here with us," Emery started. "When I arrived here, I was not happy with his performances. I was not happy and I told him in that moment, I needed more from him, and I needed more in everything. But he was having some moments being injured - his shoulder, his hamstring. But he was always being very demanding of himself to try to do everything I was asking of him. And just now we are two years since we arrive here.

"He is really being very competitive. He's been very demanding. He's adapting everything we were asking of him and it's a very good example for other players in how he is as a professional. I am impressed about how he accepted everything even when I was sometimes being very hard with him.

"He accepted and he was adapting in everything I was asking of him, and really he deserved to come back again with his national team. We are very happy for him. He's very happy, of course, and he's very competitive, and he wants more, more and more. And now he's playing again Champions League and of course, he's grateful to be with Aston Villa and our new way. And really he's a very good example."

Asked what Emery wasn't happy with, the Villa manager said: "More in everything, more offensively, more defensively and even more commitment every day, because sometimes he had some problems. Now he accepted and he started to be demanding with himself when I arrived here with every conversation I had with him.

"I first told him that I wanted to add one more left-back in the squad and we did with Alex Moreno. This summer, we did with with Ian Maatsen. But he accepted the challenges I was facing to him."

Digne started 37 of the club's 56 games across all competitions last season, making 46 total appearances, missing six matches due to injury and one through suspension. After seeing off competition from Moreno, Digne is now keeping Ian Maatsen out of the team.

The £37.5m arrival from Chelsea in the summer is yet to start either a league or Champions League game for the club because of Digne's consistent performances. It's worth saying that Maatsen has impressed after coming on - helping Villa claim late wins against West Ham, Everton and Wolves - but Emery trusts Digne to carry out exactly what he wants.

"More or less we are playing with both players in the same way, tactically, offensively and defensively," Emery added. "But one thing is clear, he has improved a lot defensively, focusing in the tactical defensive idea we have. He was progressing a lot and now I think he's defending better than when we arrive here.

"And offensively, we try to use him very intelligently, with our structure and using his very good crossing. He has very good tempo to go higher when we need it. And he's a player with experience. He's mature, he's responsible. He has a very good mentality.

"I think I was demanding in a lot of things and he has been doing them all, and he was improving, and he was working, trying to get better through the work. Now he's playing with national team and of course, he's enjoying every day, wanting more even than he's doing.

"For example, France were playing on Monday and usually the players, when they are with the national team, I give them two days off after the matches they played in. But he was here on Wednesday. Himself he decided to come here, to recover and to train. Of course, when it's one decision like that we accept it because when he came here on Wednesday, I told the physios and the coaches 'today is not necessarily his session here with us, but he wants to train'."

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