Pau Torres gives insight into influence of Aston Villa boss Unai Emery

Villa defender Pau Torres insists Unai Emery has had the biggest influence on his career so far.

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Torres, who was reunited with his former Villarreal boss Emery at Villa Park in 2023, has made nine appearances in all competitions this term.

The Spain international won the Europa League in 2021 and reached the semi-finals of the Champions League the following campaign under his fellow compatriot at Villarreal.

And Torres has revealed that Emery played an instrumental role in his switch to England.

“I’ve always said that entering the Premier League with a coach who knew me, who I knew very well, was very important and surely if he hadn’t been at Villa, I wouldn’t have taken that step,” he told the media in Spain.

“I met with him, he told me about the project, we were analysing it and I also saw that at Villarreal I had achieved practically everything that could be achieve. That it was very difficult to do more things and we saw that it was time to take that step. Yes (Emery had the biggest impact ). He is the coach with whom I’ve played the most and changed our mentality at Villarreal. He made everyone believe we could win a title, something that until then had until then had not happened.

“And I think he has been the coach, also on a day-to-day basis, who has demanded the most from us so that we all give our best.”

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