Michail Antonio has picked one Aston Villa man for an award this season, claiming that he has been ‘unbelievable’.
Aston Villa found out on Tuesday night that they would be playing in the Champions League next year, with Tottenham losing against Manchester City.
It has been a remarkable campaign for the Villans, who were also in the title discussion after beating both Manchester City and Arsenal in back to back games back in December.
With that, it is easy to forget that Villa spent much of the first-half of last season on the periphery of the relegation battle in the Premier League, but that all changed with the appointment of Unai Emery.
Michail Antonio names Unai Emery as Premier League Manager of the Season
When Emery took over in October 2022, Villa were just three points above the relegation zone. So their rise has been rapid, and it is not yet clear whether they have reached their ceiling.
Speaking on The Footballer’s Football Podcast, Michail Antonio suggested that he would pick the Spaniard as his manager of the season in the Premier League.
“I’m going Unai Emery,” he said. “For me, I just feel what he’s achieved with Aston Villa this year has been unbelievable. Off the last few seasons that Villa’s been playing, he’s turned them into a completely new team so I think it would be difficult to look past him.”
Aston Villa still yet to find their ceiling
This season will mark the fifth time in six years that the Villans will have registered an improved finish in the league, so the foundations have definitely been put in place for Emery to succeed.
But it is remarkable how he took a team which was hardly capturing the imagination under Steven Gerrard, and has turned them so quickly into a side now preparing to take a seat at European football’s top table.
And given his track record in continental competition, there is reason for Villa fans to be so excited about what they may achieve in the years to come.