Aston Villa winger Leon Bailey has been speaking about his return to the club, following his difficult spell at AS Roma
Leon Bailey of Aston Villa
Leon Bailey of Aston Villa(Image: Getty Images)
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Leon Bailey was delighted to return to Aston Villa after admitting he had been missing the club during his loan spell at AS Roma.
The winger endured a difficult period in the Italian capital, with injuries disrupting his five-month stint under Gian Piero Gasperini.
Bailey had originally been set to spend the entire season at Roma, who also held an option to buy him for £19 million.
After starting just one Serie A match, the 28-year-old was recalled by Villa as Evann Guessand was allowed to leave for Crystal Palace.
Speaking on the Official Aston Villa Podcast, Bailey explained why he chose to return to the club last month.
“I’m delighted to be back. I’ve missed everything about Villa when I left,” he said. “First of all, I missed the dressing room, with the boys, I missed the dressing room.
“I did miss the manager a lot, too. He is, for me, the best manager I’ve had, and I think he’s amazing.
“Not just the manager, the staff around it as well. All of them, they all play a massive part. They’ve helped my career a lot, and I’m grateful for that.
"To be back in that environment is amazing. I feel like I’m learning again. I feel like I’m in a good place. It’s deep for me with the staff that is here. To be back here is amazing.
“My goal has always been to be part of something, where you can say you’ve been somewhere from the start and see the end result.”
Asked about his goals for the end of the season, Bailey said: “I am hoping to put my best foot forward all the time.
"I want to help the team as much as possible with the best of my abilities. I said it in the meeting today that two years ago, we were in a good place like we are right now.
“If we can learn from that and try to improve from what we done in that time … maybe this is the time we can really compete and really go for a title.”
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