Matty Cash said Aston Villa had reached “no ceiling” under Unai Emery ahead of the two-year anniversary of the manager’s appointment, while the Spaniard expressed his desire to continue to “break barriers” by becoming a Champions League regular.

Emery will celebrate this milestone on Thursday. In that time he changed Villa’s fortunes. The club was above the Premier League relegation zone on goal difference before his first game in charge – an impressive 3-1 win against Manchester United in November 2022.

Villa host Bologna in the Champions League on Tuesday hoping to maintain their 100% record after recording a famous win over Bayern Munich in their final game of the competition. Cash admitted the club had made great progress since his move from Nottingham Forest in September 2020.

“In the last four years since I joined, the club has simply gone through the roof, the quality in every single department has increased and the club has no ceiling,” said the 27-year-old defender.

“I think it can go all the way up. Playing Champions League football was a cornerstone in getting here and the coach played a big part in that. It’s great to be here and we’ve come a long way in four years.”

Emery said he wanted Villa’s first season in Europe’s premier competition since 1982/83 to be a springboard for further success. “We are there at this moment but I want to stay there for a long time,” said the Villa manager. “It’s difficult. Maybe problems may arise sometimes, but we must be resilient when they arise. We must be strong in our ideas and in our minds to create a strong mentality and always try to overcome barriers.”

When asked about the most significant step he has made during his time at the club, Emery, who extended his contract with Villa until 2029 in May, revealed a message he shared with his players on day one. “The only words that I keep using and that I said when I arrived here and now are: ‘I don’t want to waste my time here,'” the 52-year-old said. “‘I don’t want you to waste your time here.’ We want to maintain the level we have now, the Champions League, and add something more like a contender for a trophy.”

Villa could meet one of their players in Samuel Iling-Junior, who moved to Bologna on loan in the summer weeks after signing from Juventus. The England U21 winger, who has appeared as a substitute five times for the Serie A side, is eligible to play against his parent club.