Unai Emery hails Chelsea star ahead of weekend game vs Aston Villa

Chelsea will return to action this weekend in the Premier League when they face Aston Villa in their first match after the international break.

Ahead of the match, Aston Villa manager Unai Emery applauded Chelsea star Joao Felix, who he described as a “special” player.

Emery, who has made a great start as Villa manager, will bring his side to Stamford Bridge on Saturday evening, where he would battle it out with Graham Potter in the opposite dugout.

Emery in his pre-match press conference on Thursday, when asked specifically about Felix, applauded the forward.

“As a player he’s a special player. His position as a No.10 is very difficult to be like him with good skills. He can play doing an assist, scoring goals, dropping to try and build up. He can play in the space and small spaces, trying to do something; assist, driving, getting in the box,” Emery said, as quoted by the Birmingham Mail.

“He needs time here to adapt in the Premier League. He’s young, progressively he’s getting better at Chelsea as well. I always follow him and I admire him as a player.”