No one is talking about Aston Villa newbie

If rivals thought Aston Villa would collapse after Unai Emery‘s super-team got ripped apart, they are going to be comprehensively disappointed.

The lights are flickering on at Villa Park, and the 6-0 drubbing of Fenerbahce in the Champions League on Wednesday evening revealed the new superstar potential at Emery’s disposal.

Over the years, it has felt like the Premier League has become a bit stagnant at the top. Ambitious sides may rise and attempt to tear ‘the Big Six’ wide open, but success would be fleeting.

These clubs thought they would lead the pack in perpetuity, but Emery and the Villa have said no. Despite selling so many stars this summer, they are piecing an elite team back together, with the likes of Johan Manzambi and Nicolas Jackson leading the way.

Why Manzambi is a superstar

It looked like Manzambi was headed for St. James’ Park. The box-crashing Freiburg midfielder had established himself as an elite prospect at the World Cup with Switzerland, and Aston Villa saw the vision, acting incisively to hack Newcastle’s deal and signing him for around £50m.

Reuters/Andrew Boyers

With Morgan Rogers having already left Villa Park and signed for Chelsea in a £117m deal – making him the most expensive British player in history – it was crucial this one hit the mark, and while it’s early days yet, Manzambi, only 20, looks the real deal, having posted two goals and three assists across his first five appearances at the club.

Lesser managers would have fumbled this rebuild – but not Emery. Aston Villa are already bouncing back, with a poor start to the season still revealing such promise. The six-goal mauling of Fenerbahce bears testament to that. Bundesliga tax? What Bundesliga tax?

However, Manzambi cannot be expected to maintain Rogers-esque performances from the get-go. Perhaps he will, but that can’t be expected.

For Jackson, it’s a different story.

Why Nicolas Jackson can be Aston Villa’s talisman

Last time Jackson played Premier League football, he did so with Chelsea. Two seasons the Senegal international spent at Stamford Bridge, and he scored 24 goals across 65 games.

Action Images via Reuters/Paul Childs

The 25-year-old spent last year on loan with Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga. There he failed to overtake Harry Kane as the Germans’ star man up top – though that is hardly a slight against his quality.

He appears to have smoothed out his finishing. For Chelsea, Jackson missed 43 big chances in the Premier League, whereas this season, he has posted two goals across five matches, missing only one golden opportunity.

He is more polished than before, and the £65m outlay looks to be better business by the week. Ollie Watkins’ sale to Al-Hilal was poignant, but all in all, Emery and co have pulled off a blinder.

These two forwards are taking the limelight, but let’s not forget another summer signing who could eventually outstrip the pair of them.

People aren’t talking about Aston Villa’s “£100m talent”

Perhaps, months down the line, people will start to realise just how remarkable a feat it was that Emery pulled off this summer, his Europa League-winning side ripped up but replaced with a new crop of players who have the potential to match and maybe even eclipse last year’s triumph.

Jackson and Manzambi are leading the charge, but they are also joined by Ibrahim Mbaye, who proved against Fenerbahce that he is one of the most talented young wingers in the world, having joined from Paris Saint-Germain for £43m this summer.

What a display. All-encompassing against the Turkish side, Mbaye has demonstrated such promise across his first few months with Villa, and that was his defining display.

Described as a “£100m talent” by Liverpool content creator Sajad Iqbal, rueful about his side’s failure to act on their interest this summer, Mbaye, 18 years old, has all the attributes to rival the likes of Manzambi and Watkins at Villa Park.

Mbaye has made a slower start than Jackson and Manzambi, but let’s come him some slack with that one. Aston Villa 2.0 is in its nascent phase, and Mbaye is a teenager settling into a new country.

Reuters/Paul Childs

His world-class potential is without question. Give him time, and the Senegalese winger will develop into a superstar for the Midlands club.