Youri Tielemans reveals Aston Villa's next move after heroic Champions League exit

Youri Tielemans admitted their heroic failure has given players an extra incentive to produce a grandstand finish to the season. Tielemans scored the goal that sparked a remarkable Villa fightback against Paris St Germain that eventually fell just short of taking the quarter-final tie into extra-time.

And the Belgian midfielder says the narrow defeat over two legs against the French champions has given him and his team-mates an ever keener taste for big nights on the European stage.

He said: “After a night like this you want more, you want to be back next season. That's the aim, you always want more. We are going to give everything to do that. It's up to us to keep pushing and be back next season.”

Tielemans said he didn't 'understand’ why there was only three minutes of added time in that dramatic second leg, explaining: "Everyone was looking at each other because there had been substitutions, goals, they took time as well. To be honest, I really don't understand why it was only three minutes. It was very interesting but it is what it is."

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Tielemans, though, also admitted he was ‘disappointed’ that Villa were unable to complete an unlikely fightback. But he reckons their efforts showed the spirit that has developed under .

He said: “I think the team was really good, the character was really good, the mentality was good. That's the mentality we need.

"If we want more and if we want to be competing against these sides, we need to have that mentality to stay in the game always, try to come back and to give our all.

“We really believed that we could get another one and we had a few chances where we should have been more clinical to stay in the game. Unfortunately we didn't score.

"It's true that their goalkeeper made some really good saves and credit to them as well, but we have to be more clinical. I think there was more in it for us.”

Tielemans and his team-mates will have to quickly get over the disappointment of their exit. On Saturday evening, they have a crunch Premier League game at Villa Park against United, rivals for a top-five finish.

“We know how strong we can be at home,” said Tielemans. “We have brilliant support and we know that we can do anything with the fans behind us.”

Amongst the ramifications of qualifying for next season’s Champions League will be an impact on Villa’s summer spending and their ability to keep hold of on-loan stars and Marco Asensio. And Tielemans is keen to acknowledge the impact made by the player and the Paris Saintt Germain player.

He said: “We had many, many injuries at that time (January window) so we were a bit forced to add players into the squad but I think the recruitment has been really good, the players coming in have been showing their level, showing a good mentality.

"When you have new players coming in it raises the level. Against , you could see some of the quality that we have.”

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