'Ready to take it all' - Aston Villa man hungry for big finish to 'exciting' season
Amadou Onana says he is “ready to take it all” as Villa look ahead to a huge final two months of the season.
Sunday’s morale-boosting 2-0 win over West Ham moved Unai Emery’s five points clear of Liverpool in fourth place in the Premier League.
Villa also face Bologna next month in the quarter-finals of the Europa League, as they look to stay on track to end the club’s 30-year trophy drought.
Asked about his feelings on the run-in, record signing Onana said: “I am hungry for anything. I am ready to take it all. It is a lot of excitement.
“We can achieve some big things this season. It is up to us.”
Onana gave one of his strongest performances in recent months, as Villa beat the Hammers to win for the first time in five Premier League matches and ease a little of the pressure in the race for Champions League football.
But the Belgium international played down his own contribution, instead diverting praise in the direction of captain John McGinn.
The latter opened the scoring to net for the second consecutive match, as Villa followed up last week’s Europa League win over Lille to restore a sense of momentum to their campaign.
Onana said: “John is a player who can do everything. He can attack, he can defend, he can shoot, he can pass.
“That’s why he is the skipper. When you see that, you just want to go harder.”
McGinn returned from a knee injury earlier this month, while Sunday also saw Onana’s Belgium team-mate Youri Tielemans make a welcome comeback after nearly two months out with an ankle injury.
Villa won only one out of seven Premier League matches from which Tielemans, who won last year’s player and supporters’ player of the season awards, was absent.
“I think those type of players are high quality players,” continued Onana. “We know what Youri is capable of. I think I, personally, missed him a lot. The team as well.
“Adding someone like John McGinn, it just gives a different feel and we can create way more threat.”
Onana himself was involved in one of the match’s biggest moments, when he won the ball back in his own half before starting the move which led to Ollie Watkins scoring Villa’s second goal.
He continued: “I think it was just one of those days (for me) where everything you try works out.
“But this is nothing but my job, that’s what they brought me here for and that’s what I try to do week in, week out.
“I just did an interception, which is part of my job, and then I give it to the likes of Morgan, Emi and those players to do their job. That’s what it should look like every week.”
