Unai Emery faces bold £55m Aston Villa decision ahead of Manchester United clash

Unai Emery ought to start Moussa Diaby on the bench against Manchester United after a string of lackluster performances.

As the season draws to a close, Aston Villa is presently occupying third position in the Premier League standings. They are currently one point behind Arsenal in first place and tied for second as of this writing.

The Villans have flourished under Unai Emery’s leadership and appear to be vying for a Champions League spot.

Villa has proven they are a formidable team in recent weeks with victories over Manchester City and Arsenal. In an attempt to perhaps win the title, they travel to play a faltering Manchester United team on Boxing Day.

One star for Villa should be left off the starting lineup against Old Trafford in favor of being used as a substitute later in the match.

Why Moussa Diaby should be dropped

It’s reasonable to argue that Diaby has been among Villa’s top players ever since joining from Bayer Leverkusen for a reported £55 million in the summer. Emery has called him “fantastic” as a result of his seven goals in fifteen starts.

He has repeatedly shown that he is worth the £130,000 per week Villa lost on buying him. His abilities have enhanced the team, particularly in the early part of the campaign. Leon Bailey has been excellent this season, to put it mildly, and Diaby has brought out the best in him.

His goals against Burnley, Newcastle United, and Luton Town demonstrate his quality, which is evident to all. Having said that, he hasn’t revealed his whole ability in recent weeks, frustrating Villa supporters.

Based on his performance versus Sheffield United, he only merited a FotMob rating of 6.5. Even though he completed the most dribbles during the game, he only managed one shot on goal and was unable to create an opportunity. The supporters of the opposition were expecting more, given the caliber—or lack thereof.

We think he should be an impact player against a worn-out defense by starting off the bench against Manchester United. He did so to level the score against Bournemouth when he entered the game and grabbed an assist.

One of Villa’s top players, Diaby is undoubtedly a talented player. He needs a chance to contribute to games as a substitute and gain some experience.