'Special talent' - New Aston Villa hero hailed by team-mate

Tyrone Mings reckons new Villa hero Johan Manzambi is proving he has the substance to back-up his skill.

The 21-year-old midfielder was hailed a “special talent” by his team-mate after scoring the only goal in Saturday’s 1-0 win at Newcastle.

Manzambi, who joined Villa in a £51million move from Freiburg last summer, has now scored three times in four starts.

But Mings believes it is the Switzerland international’s workrate which will be delighting boss Unai Emery more than his ability to score and create goals.

“I’ve been really impressed. He's a fantastic person, first and foremost,” said Mings.

“The manager will be more pleased with his application off the ball at the moment.

“You know how demanding the manager is regarding physical output—especially for those two up front or whoever the combination is.

“It's a lot of ground to cover and a lot of work to do. He (Manzambi) is a special talent for sure.”

After a slow start to the season, Villa have now won four of their last five matches in all competitions as Emery’s rebuild of the team continues to gather momentum.

“Mings added: “We have so many different options (up front) with so many unique skill sets that the manager will just be excited by what they can all deliver.

“But he's non-negotiable on the work and the physical output off the ball and I'm super proud of the work that they're doing at the moment.

“And when they get the goals and reward for the work that they're doing, I'm sure he'll be proud of himself and probably sleep well.”