'Long time ago': Aston Villa's Tyrone Mings on dream rise from Championship to Champions League last eight

The England international was part of the Villa side that dragged the club back to the Premier League - as a year on from play-off heartbreak, they beat Derby 2-1 to return to the top flight.

Less than six years later, Mings, alongside John McGinn, who are the two members of that 2019 side still at the club, is preparing for much, much bigger things.

Villa's 6-1 aggregate thumping of Club Brugge on Wednesday evening has set up a dream last eight Champions League tie with giants Paris Saint-Germain, and for Mings, it is hard to believe how far the club has come.

He said: "It is hard to put into words, it is hard to take in and appreciate the level you are now playing at.

"The bar keeps raising, expectations keep raising, we keep going up in levels or performances and we keep demanding.

"The Championship feels like a long time ago."

It has been some rise for the Villa players who were plying their trade in the Championship a little over half a decade ago.

From promotion and Premier League survival, they will now take on one of the tournament favourites who dominated Premier League leaders Liverpool over two legs, before progressing on penalties earlier this week.

Villa will go into the tie as underdogs, however Mings insists they also have the quality to go and hurt the big sides, like they have done domestically.

He also handed special praise to January signings Marco Asensio and Marcus Rashford, who again starred in their second leg clash on Wednesday.

He said: "It will be a very tough game, we are so excited.

"Every game we play now comes with its own challenges because we play in the toughest league in the world.

"Every week we have to treat teams with an equal level of respect.

"We will go there and give a good account of ourselves and try and win over two legs.

"We will enjoy every moment, we have a lot of firepower and quality in our team as well."

On Asensio and Rashford's impact, he added: "I mean it was important for them to come and buy in to what we are doing and bring a skill set and show that on the pitch.

"They have come with big reputations and great experience, and they have come in and hit the ground running, they have shown their quality game in game out."