"It was really frustrating" - Aston Villa star attacks ex-boss Steven Gerrard amid rich vein of form under Unai Emery

Aston Villa winger Bertrand Traore has revealed that he was unhappy under former manager Steven Gerrard as he did not get the chance to prove himself in the first team.

Liverpool legend Gerrard was sacked as Aston Villa's manager on October 20, 11 months after he was appointed. Gerrard’s dismissal came amid Villa’s poor run of form, which saw them slip dangerously close to the bottom of the barrel.

His successor, Unai Emery, has turned the club’s fortunes around, taking them to seventh place in the Premier League standings. If they keep this up, they could secure European football for the first time since 2010.

Emery has also brought Traore back to Villa from a loan spell at Basaksehir. The right-winger has thanked Emery for showing faith in him and has claimed that Gerrard was not as kind. Traore said (via the Express):

“It feels good for me because I travelled a lot the last two seasons with a lot of injuries and had some trouble with the previous manager.

“I was pulled out of the first team squad and went training for two weeks with the under-23s before I went out on loan. It was really frustrating for me, but the new manager gave me a new chance.”

Traore also vouched to do his best to help his team in their pursuit of European football this season. He added:

“I had a conversation with the manager ages ago as I played against him a lot of times. He believed in me and I think he is on my side and I want to give back so he doesn’t believe in me for nothing.

“I am also trying to give back to the team and the fans who have supported me. I will try to help as much as possible when I get my chance.”

Since returning from his loan spell in January, Traore has featured in three Premier League games for the Villans, scoring once. He scored the winning goal in the 87th minute as Villa beat Leicester City 2-1 away from home on Tuesday night (April 4).

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Aston Villa interested in signing former Chelsea star Tammy Abraham

According to Italian outlet Il Messaggero, Aston Villa are looking to bring in an attacker in the summer and have set their sights on AS Roma’s Tammy Abraham. AC Milan are also interested in acquiring his services.

It has been claimed that the former Chelsea ace could leave Roma this summer, courtesy of his sub-par showings this season. He has featured in 39 games this season, scoring seven times and claiming six assists across competitions.

It is believed that AS Roma are prepared to sell the player for €40 million plus bonuses. While Aston Villa would not have trouble shelling out that amount, Milan could find it difficult to do so, making the Premier League outfit the clear favorites in the race.

Abraham already had a spell at Aston Villa when they were in the Championship. He played 40 games for them in the 2018-19 season, scoring 26 times.