An Aston Villa player has asked Unai Emery to coach him in Spanish despite not being able to properly speak the language.
Aston Villa are preparing for their first ever Champions League campaign, 41 years after they last appeared in the European Cup.
Club bosses have bolstered Unai Emery's squad with the addition of midfielder Amadou Onana, who joined from Everton this summer for a club record fee of £50 million.
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The Belgium international replaces Douglas Luiz, who was sold to Juventus for the same fee in a deal needed to avoid the threat of breaching Premier League profit and sustainability rules (PSR).
Given that Onana is three years younger than the Brazilian, Villa have arguably upgraded.
Not only is the 22-year-old a brilliant footballer, but he is also extremely intelligent. He already speaks five languages, but he is hoping that Emery will help him learn a sixth.
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After completing his move to Villa Park, Onana revealed: I’ve asked Unai Emery and his staff to speak to me in Spanish so that I can answer in Spanish.
"I already speak five languages, Wolof — from my childhood growing up in Senegal — French, German, English and Dutch. But I’m learning a sixth.
"I love Spain and go there at least once a year. It’s a beautiful language and it would be nice to be able to speak it more fluently.
"Obviously it’s going to be easier here with so many Spanish- speaking staff, so Unai can help me improve my Spanish as well as my football!"
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Education is massively important to Onana and it is a value which was instilled in him from a young age by his hard-working mother.
His mum raised Onana and in a home packed with 14 family members, and gave up her career as a physio to emigrate to Belgium when Onana was 11 so that he could chase his football dream.
"The man you see in front of you is built by my mum," Onana said.
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"My mum raised three kids on her own, which couldn’t always have been easy, but she made the best of it.
"I shared a room with my brother in a house with my whole family, which meant mum, grandparents, cousins, uncles, aunties.
"Football-wise, I didn’t have the opportunities you have here in England. I just played football in the street.
"I moved to Belgium when I was 11 to play football — and because I knew there were also better opportunities there for my schooling. Mum was always big on education, schoolwork always came first.
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"I had to finish all my homework before I was allowed out to play football with my friends — that was the deal.
"Mum is the main influence in my life and gave me the dedication I’ve got."
Topics: Aston Villa, Unai Emery, Champions League, Premier League, Football
Alex Brotherton