Report: What Lamare Bogarde is doing behind the scenes at Aston Villa which has stunned teammates

At the beginning of last season, very few Aston Villa fans would have believed that Lamare Bogarde would soon be playing Champions League football under Unai Emery.

Bogarde returned to Villa early from his loan at Bristol Rovers in January, and many thought he would then leave the club temporarily again.

However, the Dutch under-20 international remained at Villa Park as back-up and learned from training with Emery and the first team.

Of course, that patience has now paid off and Bogarde is regularly playing minutes for Villa, including a half against BSC Young Boys on Europe’s biggest stage.

It’s also a compliment that Bogarde has also played a lot of those minutes at right-back, which isn’t considered to be his strongest role first and foremost.

The 20-year-old is a centre-back by trade, but his versatility is deeply appreciated by Emery.

Ezri Konsa and Tyrone Mings are both guiding Lamare Bogarde at Aston Villa

That being said, judging by a report by The Athletic, Bogarde isn’t wasting his opportunity in the first team this season.

The youngster was initially promoted by Dean Smith as a 17-year-old and his ‘conscientious nature’ has seriously impressed his teammates since.

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According to the report, Bogarde does additional training sessions away from the club, after seeing the example of others in the dressing room.

The likes of Ezri Konsa and Tyrone Mings have taken Bogarde under their wing since his emergence, something that’s clearly paying dividends.

Interestingly, The Athletic also shared that Bogarde is a big fan of the level of detail Emery goes into with his analysis, he enjoys using footage to improve his game. 

Benni McCarthy says Villa are ‘dark horses’ to win Champions League

Of course, Bogarde will be hoping he can add to his four senior appearances for Villa this season in the coming weeks and months.

And with the addition of Champions League football, the schedule is looking increasingly busy for Emery.

That being said, Benni McCarthy has claimed that Villa can win the Champions League this season, at least he considers them ‘dark horses’ to do so.

And even if Emery does have an incredible record in Europe, that might still be a prediction that is on the ambitious side.

Although, if Jhon Duran can keep up his incredible form there’s no limit to what Villa can achieve this season, a team with such a strong foundation in place.