Comment: Classy Nicolas Jackson helping to ignite Unai Emery's Aston Villa rebuild

The man he replaced, Ollie Watkins, could lay claim to being the club’s best striker since the turn of the century.

Yet while it is still early days and the sample size small, things so far could hardly have gone much better.

Through eight matches, Jackson has scored five goals, including four in his last three appearances.

His first half brace against Fenerbahce on Wednesday set Unai Emery’s reshaped team on their way to recording the club’s biggest-ever win in European competition.

Johan Manzambi, who somewhat controversially beat him to the man-of-the-match prize, was also impressive, as was Ibrahim Mbaye.

Yet of the trio, it is Jackson at centre-forward who has taken on the biggest immediate responsibility and right now he is more than exceeding expectations.

It is not just the goal return but his all-round ability and play which has caught the eye.

Perhaps the most impressive moment of Wednesday’s performance came early in the second half when, out on the wing with little in the way of support and two opposing players in close attendance, he displayed strength and skill to first hold the ball up and then maintain possession, before finding a team-mate.

Brilliant though Watkins was for Villa, deft control could never have been considered one of his strengths.

What he did possess was durability, barely missing a match through six seasons in which he netted 108 goals.

Jackson, who must still eradicate those spells of ill-discipline which blighted his Chelsea career, still has some way to go but on the initial evidence, Villa can be optimistic they have replaced one of the most vital cogs in their machine with a younger player of greater potential.

The same applies at the other end of the pitch, where Zion Suzuki is continuing his own, assured start to life at the club.

Wednesday might not have become the cruise it did without the goalkeeper twice denying Vedat Muriqi at close quarters, shortly after Manzambi had opened the scoring.

Suzuki also pushed an Oguz Aydin effort onto the bar in the first half. No-one could say the Japan international didn’t earn his second clean sheet of the campaign.

Villa will likely need Suzuki to remain in good form because, exciting as Emery’s new-look side appear in attack, there remain questions about their strength at the back.

While Jackson and Suzuki have made an immediate impact, the man signed to replace Ezri Konsa in the squad, Taylor Harwood-Bellis, was omitted from the Champions League squad and has watched all but one of the Premier League matches since his £30m move from Southampton from the stands.

Even in a match as one-sided as Wednesday, there were still a few too many shaky moments in defence.

Better teams than Fenerbahce - and by that you can pretty much count every one in the Premier League - will punish any errors. Tightening up at the back and finding the right midfield balance are both high on Emery’s agenda heading into Saturday’s trip to Newcastle.

And yet, for all the work which still needs to be done, it would be daft not to appreciate the distance already covered.

Villa, let’s not forget, didn’t manage to get a shot on target in their first two matches of the season.

Barely a month later, their attack - headed by a rejuvenated Jackson and with the fit-again Brian Madjo in reserve - has the potential to be one of the Premier League’s most dynamic and exciting.

That should be more than enough to get any supporter optimistic for what is to follow.