Leon Bailey is one player who has really stepped up for Aston Villa and Unai Emery this season.
The Jamaica international scored just five goals in his first 51 Premier League appearances for the Villans following a £25m move from Bayer Leverkusen in August 2021.
However, the Aston Villa No.31 has truly taken off this season, scoring 13 goals while also providing 12 assists in 46 appearances.
Aside from his obvious talent with the ball at his feet, Leon Bailey also proved himself as something of a leader during Thursday’s eventful UEFA Conference League win over Lille in France…
What Leon Bailey did while Aston Villa were 2-0 down to Lille
Well, Emery decided to leave the Jamaican on the bench in Thursday’s second leg of the UEFA Conference League quarter-final, as Aston Villa were 2-1 ahead on aggregate.
However, the Spaniard turned to Bailey in the 68th minute as the Villans needed a goal to keep their European dreams alive, and the 26-year-old did something quite impressive immediately after replacing Moussa Diaby.
In footage captured by TNT Sports cameras, the man from Kingston could be seen trying to motivate his teammates and inject some belief into them.
As you can see above, Bailey was eager to let his teammates know there was still 22 minutes to salvage the game, and the Villans did exactly that with just three minutes left on the clock, thanks to a strike from Matty Cash which forced extra-time.
Unai Emery will love this
In our view, this act of leadership could even be enough to make Emery start Bailey in the UEFA Conference League semi-final against Olympiacos.
In knockout football at this level, it’s not all about talent.
Bailey showed the belief every Aston Villa player needs to possess if the Villans are going to emulate West Ham and win the UEFA Conference League this season, while he does also have the ability to torment opponents, of course.
If the Jamaican – who Emery said works so hard at Villa Park – does not start against Olympiacos after his impact in France on Thursday, we would be shocked.
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