Unai Emery outlines Aston Villa minimum requirement ahead of huge final day

Villa head to Manchester United on the final day of the season knowing a win would give them a strong chance of jumping into the Premier League’s top five and playing in Europe’s elite club competition for the second straight season.

Emery’s men are guaranteed some form of European football next term and the boss is willing to accept whatever fate may have in store at Old Trafford.

Regardless of the outcome, he is determined to keep striving for more.

He said: “Progressively, we are getting higher in our standard but to keep it for a long time is our challenge.

“We got Conference League two years ago, Champions League this season - and we are again in Europe, for a third year, which is fantastic.

“But to keep that going for a long time is my ambition. That will continue our process here as a club, increasing everything.”

Emery pointed to the proposed expansion of Villa Park to a 50,000 capacity as “an important step forward”.

“The owners’ commitment is very high and they want us to get better,” he said. “But the first way we can do this is through our football. The results on the field. This is the responsibility and challenge that I feel.”

A win at Old Trafford, where Villa have tasted victory just twice since 1983, would give Emery’s men the best chance of a top-five finish, though a draw might also be enough depending on results elsewhere.

“We want Champions League but we are also happy to be playing in Europe,” said the boss. “We will accept what happens.

“We will prepare the game to win, that is our next step forward and the most difficult challenge we have ahead of us.

“To win at Old Trafford is something I’ve always found difficult.

“At the end of the match, hopefully we’ll feel happy. We want to be clinical in everything.”