Aston Villa have announced that their new manager is Unai Emery, marking a huge statement of intent from the board to lure someone with such pedigree to Villa Park.

Having given up his Villarreal side which nearly reached the Champions League final last season, he will have a huge task on his hands to reignite this sleeping giant of a football club.

That is all the more so given the damage that Steven Gerrard had seemingly done at the club, as they sit 15th in the Premier League and were in the relegation zone before Aaron Danks led them to their 4-0 win over Brentford on Sunday.

One thing that the inbound Spaniard likes to employ with his clubs is a rigid defensive structure, but he is not afraid to be brave when the situation suits him. He boasts a great tactical mind which has led him to numerous Europa League titles.

Although Villa's league position is not ideal, he could walk into a squad inundated with untapped talent just ready to be rocketed up the table.

One man around whom the Spaniard could build the spine of his team is summer signing Leander Dendoncker, who was brought into the team against the Bees to great effect.

His defensive solidity in the middle of the pitch allowed the front four the freedom to fire in four unanswered goals, whilst the Belgian earned a SofaScore rating of 7.5.

It is no surprise that his former Wolves coach Nuno Espirito Santo labelled the £90k-per-week ace a “top player” who was very “talented”.

In just 63 minutes on the pitch, he won 80% of his duels, making three tackles, two interceptions and three clearances to cap off a fine defensive display.

Whilst at Arsenal, Emery struggled to find a player of such ilk around whom to build his team, as neither Lucas Torreira nor Matteu Guendouzi could fulfil the role.

With Dendoncker, the Spaniard's 4-2-3-1 system could be executed to perfection with him as one of the two holding midfielders.

Emery will not provide an instant fix, but with the Belgium midfielder he has already been handed the foundations upon which to build a defensively strong team, and he must continue to unleash the 27-year-old in their upcoming games.