'Better than them' - Aston Villa boss Unai Emery makes cheeky Man United dig with Premier League top-four claim

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery believes his team deserves to be competing at the top of the Premier League.

Villa face Manchester United at Old Trafford on Boxing Day with Emery's team sat third in the table, level on points with Liverpool and one point behind leaders Arsenal. But the Villains blew their chance to go top on Friday after Nicolo Zaniolo’s leveller in the seventh minute of stoppage time salvaged a 1-1 draw with Sheffield United.

They are 11 points ahead of United, and while Emery admits they still need to prove themselves, he insisted that Villa deserve to be above their opponents in the league. "Each team deserves their position in the Premier League. We demand a lot of ourselves, I'm happy and proud of the work we've done so far," Emery said.

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"We're facing Manchester United better than them in the table at the moment. But they are thought of as a top-seven team more than we are. We have to work out how we can face those teams.

"At the start of the season, we played at Newcastle and lost, then the same at Liverpool but we've also won at Tottenham and Chelsea. Once again, we're away at United and the challenge is more for us than it is at home.

"Our mentality is to keep going and compete every day. We're consistent and competitive and that's not changing. We're aiming to keep this position and do something in the Europa Conference League."

Emery also hinted at potential changes in the team, saying: "We're focusing and correcting what needs to be corrected." Villa have been linked with a January move for RB Leipzig's former Chelsea