Villa's Manzambi shows Newcastle what they missed out on

Aston Villa are a side back in form, with Johan Manzambi scoring the winner against a Newcastle team he turned down to move to Villa Park. Johan Manzambi saw first hand how good Aston Villa were last season and is now playing a crucial part in Unai Emery's rebuild in this campaign. Switzerland midfielder Manzambi, who turned 21 on Wednesday, scored his third goal in Villa colours with the winner in a 1-0 victory over Newcastle – the club he turned down before moving to Villa Park in the summer. Manzambi played a crucial role in helping Freiburg reach the Europa League final, before the Germans were comprehensively beaten by a Villa side that scored three times in the opening hour on their way to a 3-0 success.

Asked why he had joined Villa, Manzambi said: "The team was very good and I played against them in the final. It's a very good team with a big coach and that was perfect for me." For Newcastle fans it was one that had got away, as Manzambi had looked set for a move to St James' Park before opting to join Villa in a club record deal of just over £50m. Manzambi headed in the winner in the north east on Saturday, unmarked eight yards out when found by Joao Gomes'