Unai Emery demands no let-up as Aston Villa aim to pile more misery on Manchester United

Villa host the struggling Red Devils on Sunday with Emery determined his team keep their foot firmly on the throttle after Wednesday’s 1-0 Champions League win over Bayern Munich.

The 1-0 victory will be celebrated for years to come yet Emery has no intention of dwelling on the triumph.

“The example I have is to be demanding and do not relax,” he said. “Every person relaxes when we get comfortable. When we get comfortable, this is what I want to control.

“It starts with myself, how we face each match and how we can be consistent. After we played on Wednesday, a fantastic day, the supporters are very happy, but now I want to win on Sunday.”

Villa have not been bigger favourites to beat United for decades, with the visitors arriving on a four-match winless run which has left their head coach, Erik ten Hag, on the brink of the sack.

But Emery is wary, pointing out Villa have lost their last four matches against the Red Devils after beating them 3-1 at home in his first match in charge, almost two years ago.

The boss claimed he would be preparing more intensely for this match than he did for Bayern.

He said: “I told the players I prepared more for Ipswich than Bayern Munich. Why? Because I knew before how we were more or less motivated and excited to face Bayern.

“We could lose, draw or win but the response of the players I knew before was going to be a high level and it was.

“But against Ipswich I had my doubts if they would respond with the same motivation and mentality.

“On Sunday against Manchester United, it is always a tough match and matches like that are matches which are very motivating for the players, supporters and myself.

“They are a winning team and they have an experienced coach and experienced players.

“This is a winning club, and they still are after winning the FA Cup against Manchester City.

“They are not getting consistent results, but playing one match they could get their capacity and skills. I will respect them and prepare for the match more than I did against Bayern Munich.”

Amadou Onana, Jacob Ramsey and Leon Bailey all face late fitness tests. Emery is optimistic midfielder Onana, the only player to start all nine of Villa’s matches this season, will be available.

“The mentality is to try and get the best individually and combine that with our style and idea,” continued Emery. “We want to get from the players the best in everything.

“The mentality is that when we are training, when we are playing, when we are at home resting, we have to focus on football for 75 per cent of our life, the players and coaches.

“It is worth it. We are increasing our level as a team and as a club. Every player is improving and increasing their level.

“The players are aware of it and the demand is every day. If we are relaxing one day, we are wrong.”