Gary Lineker delighted to see ‘exceptional’ Aston Villa player thrive
Gary Lineker has been impressed by Aston Villa’s midfield performances, and is delighted to see one player in particular thrive.
Villa remained in a buoyant mood despite their Champions League exit as they dismantled Newcastle 4-1 in the West Midlands on Saturday.
Unai Emery’s men took an early lead through Ollie Watkins before Fabian Schar equalised for the Magpies in the first half.
But Villa’s second-half performance was exceptional as they raced to a 4-1 victory thanks to further strikes from Ian Maatsen and Amadou Onana either side of Dan Burn’s own goal.
Gary Lineker waxes lyrical over Youri Tielemans
Belgium international Youri Tielemans has played a key role for Villa in the Premier League this season, notching two goals and seven assists in 33 second-tier outings.
| Youri Tielemans | 2024/25 Premier League stats |
| Appearances | 33 |
| Goals | 2 |
| Assists | 7 |
Gary Lineker revealed on the latest episode of The Rest Is Football [20 April] that he is pleased to see the former Leicester man performing well in claret and blue: “They’re very impressive in midfield as well.
“I know we’ve talked about (Morgan) Rogers a lot, we’ve talked about (John) McGinn, but a former Leicester man, I think, has had an absolutely excellent season, Youri Tielemans.
“His passing range has always been right at the highest level. And it’s great to see him doing well.”
Villa face a crunch clash with Manchester City on Tuesday
Villa have proven they were worthy of their Champions League spot this season, as they reached the quarter-final stages and beat PSG 3-2 in the second leg at Villa Park.
PSG are capable of going on to win the tournament, but Emery’s men made the Ligue 1 champions work incredibly hard for their last-four spot.
After showing what they can do at the top table of the European game this season, the West Midlands giants will be keen to qualify for the Champions League once again ahead of next term.
Emery’s side currently sit seventh in the Premier League, level on points with fifth-place Chelsea, so they could be on course to clinch a Champions League spot for the second consecutive season.
But to do so, Villa may need to beat fourth-place Manchester City on Tuesday, while Pep Guardiola’s side will be particularly hungry for a top-five spot after witnessing their usual title credentials slip away.