Aston Villa boss Unai Emery was forthcoming with the media on Wednesday afternoon.

As the Midlands club prepare to take on Ajax in the Europa Conference League, Emery was in positive spirits.

The Spaniard hailed his team's recent form, which has seen them move into fourth place in the Premier League.

On the team they face on Thursday, Emery stated: “Ajax have all my respect, they are an historic club, they've had great experiences in Europe.

“Now, maybe, three or four years ago they were playing in the semi-finals of the Champions League and they were very close to playing in the final.

“They are always promoting a lot of young players, exploiting talent a lot here. They have sold a lot of players before, being successful with them.

“Now, I assume they are going to play with young players, maybe in the next year, or two years or in the future they are going to be very important players.

“My respect is because I think they are not having a very consistent season this year but they are progressively getting better.

“And, of course, for them to play here with their supporters at home.

“Tomorrow, I think they are going to play with a great atmosphere here supporting them and they are going to show their best performance."