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In his post-match press conference last night, Minnesota United boss Adrian Heath was asked a number of questions regarding Aston Villa.
Words by Regan Foy | @FindFoy
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Minnesota United boss Adrian Heath, who has previously managed Burnley, Sheffield United and Orlando City is known for being a former player of Everton, Burnley and Aston Villa during the late eighties and nineties.
It only made sense that he’d welcome current Aston Villa manager Dean Smith to Allianz Field for Aston Villa’s first pre-season friendly of the new season – a game which they ran out as rampant 3-0 victors despite fielding twenty-two different players across the ninety minutes.
In his post-game press conference, Heath was asked a number of questions regarding his side, as well as the experience of hosting Aston Villa over the week and how he thought the new Premier League side fared.
When we asked about what he made of the Aston Villa side, he replied:
“Well, it’s the first game isn’t it? For them?
The fact that they could put virtually two teams on – they’ll be a lot better than that when the season starts.
It was a great game for them, because we were certainly not as aggressive as I would have liked, and we didn’t put them under enough pressure.
It’s been a great few days for us with them here. They have been fantastic people to be around.
I hope they do really well, because the Premier League needs a good Aston Villa.”
The manager was also asked whether he’d asked Dean Smith for any advice or tips, to which Heath responded:
“I just asked if they’d got everything out of the trip that they wanted.
They’ve been doing sessions twice or three times a day, so they’re probably tired.
I know what that first pre-season game can be like. I hope it’s been a good trip for them.
They’ll always be welcomed back again. Maybe we can build on this and host them regularly.“
The former Aston Villa man, who appeared nine times over the space of the 89/90 season, is likely best known for his six years at Everton from 1982 to 1988.
When he was asked who stood out for Aston Villa, he wasn’t short of positives for the midfielders.
“Honestly, I liked the midfield guys.
Obviously [John] McGinn. Obviously, Jack [Grealish] has got great quality, he showed that with the goal.
They’ve got a lot of pace now, and you know, they’ve got guys who are still to come in, so I’m sure they’re going to be competitive.
They’ll be incredibly well prepared, and I know what Villa Park is like when it’s full and bouncing.
I hope they have the season they’re hoping for.”
Interestingly, he was also asked about Wesley Moraes and what he thought of the Brazilian up front for Aston Villa.
“We’ve actually seen quite a lot of him because we were scouting another player from his team in Belgium.
He’s a big kid, a handful. He’s going to be a handful. He’s got good movements.
I think he’s going to be good.”
He finished on Aston Villa by saying how fantastic it was to see so many Aston Villa fans at Allianz Field for the game too, and said you could tell they enjoyed the game and that they were excited for the new year.
