Unai Emery has been impressed with the level Leon Bailey has shown since returning to Aston Villa but has challenged him to start producing numbers.

The winger was recalled from his loan at AS Roma last month after struggling with fitness, which limited his game time in the Italian capital.

Evann Guessand was subsequently allowed to move to Crystal Palace on loan, with an option to buy, despite Emery previously making it clear that the plan had been for Bailey to remain in Rome.

Ahead of Villa's match against Leeds on Saturday afternoon, Emery was asked why his stance on bringing Bailey back into the squad had changed.

“He loves football, and he loves it here,” Emery started. “The year he was here, and when we decided, with him as well, to leave from here, he was having other experiences he had before in Germany, and then he had experiences in Rome.

“He was missing something - something in the moment he had here with us, and it was not our idea to recover him to play with us here. But we decided...