Amadou Onana impressed for Aston Villa against Spurs as Unai Emery's side target a return to the Champions League
Aston Villa's Amadou Onana (right) and Tottenham Hotspur's Wilson Odobert battle for the ball
Aston Villa's Amadou Onana (right) and Tottenham Hotspur's Wilson Odobert battle for the ball
Aston Villa midfielder Amadou Onana has thanked the fans, his teammates, and Unai Emery for helping him have a successful season at the club, despite his injury struggles.
The Belgian impressed against Spurs with the kind of solid high energy performance that fans have come to expect, speaking after the game, he took time to thank the people who have supported him.
After fist-bumps and celebrations with fans, he told the club's media team: "This is my way of saying thank you because these supporters have been there all season, in the good and the bad moments and we do it for them as well.
"This feel like home to me, if I am honest, and everyone is trying to help me get better every day so I am just really grateful for the opportunity."
Despite a positive return to the starting eleven, the midfielder admits he has work to do, and has set himself the challenge of making sure he is fully focused on his own game.
He revealed: "I just want to be more consistent, I had a couple of injuries and it wasn't easy. I just want to play at this level week in and week out.
"It's been absolutely fantastic for me this season and everyone has made me feel so welcome.
"We have such a strong midfield so it is really tough, but that keeps you on your toes and you have to be on the top of your game to get in the starting eleven.
"The gaffer knows about my strength, if I get the ball at my feet and start running, it's really hard to catch me.
"He told me to use that as much as I could and that is what I was trying to do. I couldn't do that without the rest of the boys, it was a great team performance."
The victory over Spurs lifted Villa into the Champions League positions before Man City take on Bournemouth on Tuesday night.
“The job's not done yet,” Onana said ahead of the final weekend of the campaign. “Obviously, we knew that we needed a win at Villa Park. We've been really strong at home so we were willing to come out and give our best.
“That’s done, but we have got one more to go, so we’re definitely focused on that. We’ve got to keep it going.
“I'm hungry for more and more. We are capable of more so we have got to keep it going.”
He added: “This is a special team, with a lot of great players. You have the starting XI, but even the players on the bench, they could all start and we keep each other on our toes.
“You have to be on your best game to start week week out. We’ve got healthy competition and that’s the result.
"The manager is obsessed with details - that’s what makes him so special and so good. If you ask me, he’s one of the best in the industry, and he's made me personally a better player as well.
“There’s a lot of work, and he’s just tried to show me aspects of my game that I didn’t even know about.
“He is helping me to grow as a man and as a player - I’m grateful for the opportunity every day.”
What do you make of Onana's comments?Tell us HERE
Aston Villa: 150 Years - Squads and Souvenirs