Ahmed Elmohamady fired up for Aston Villa promotion bid
Ahmed Elmohamady has achieved one half of his season’s ambitions by helping Egypt qualify for the World Cup – and is now desperate to complete his second by firing Villa back to the Premier League.
The 30-year-old was part of Egypt’s side which secured their first World Cup qualification for more than a quarter of a century with their victory over Congo at the weekend.
And Elmohamady believes he is on the cusp of something special this season. “I feel this year is a huge year for me,” said the wideman, who has been performing well at right-back for Villa. “The first goal was achieved, which was to qualify with Egypt to the World Cup, and now the next challenge is to get promoted with Aston Villa to the Premier League.”
And he said the lure of working with Steve Bruce was a big part in his joining Villa from Hull City. “After getting relegated with Hull last season, I felt that I needed a change because I had been with Hull for several years,” he added. “I was searching for a new challenge and that was the most important thing for me.
“Aston Villa was a very big thing for me to approach me, and of course I had been with Steve Bruce for a long time so that was also one of the reasons why I joined them. He’s someone I’m very familiar with and I know how he works having spent time with him at Hull. So that was a big incentive as well.”
Elmohamady also hailed the leadership of skipper John Terry. “He’s a big addition for us and he’s our captain. His words are always a big motivation for us,” he added.
