Aston Villa will return to action in the Premier League next week when they host Liverpool at Villa Park on Boxing Day, and Unai Emery will be hoping that he can retain his unbeaten top-flight record so far since joining the club in late October.

The former Villarreal boss secured wins over Brighton and Hove Albion and Manchester United ahead of the World Cup break, pushing Villa up to 12th in the table and five points clear of the relegation zone.

The Villa Park faithful will be relieved that the club have extended their gap to the bottom three, as a difficult relegation scrap was becoming a potential outcome under Steven Gerrard, although there is still a long way to go over the rest of the season.

Emery is just settling in at the Midlands club but will have the opportunity to strengthen his squad in key areas and add players who fit his philosophy when the transfer window reopens next month.

One player who has recently been linked with a move to the club is Real Sociedad midfielder Mikel Merino, someone who could transform Villa in that position over the second half of the campaign.

The €60m-valued (£55m) Spanish ace – who was dubbed “quality” by his former Newcastle boss Rafael Benitez – ranks in the top 6% of his positional peers in Europe’s major leagues for touches, clearances and aerial duels won. He also ranks in top 11% for assists and has given glimpses this season of how he can be a valuable asset to Emery if Villa can secure his signature.

In 14 La Liga appearances this term, Merino has scored one goal, registered six assists and created eight big chances, averaging 63.1 touches, 1.4 key passes, 2.4 tackles, 2.3 clearances and 7.4 duels won per game.

In fact, Emery could even land his very own Jude Bellingham with the signing of Merino, as the talented English teenager was named as one of the most comparable players to the Real Sociedad star over the last 12 months, according to FBref.

The midfield duo share many similarities in their output over the season so far, including shots on target 90 minutes (0.80 v 0.73, Merino first), dribbles completed (54.5% v 46.9%), shot-creating actions per 90 minutes (3.28 v 3.78) and aerial duels won (67.2% v 62.9%).

Signing Merino would be a big coup for Aston Villa and may provide Emery with a player who could help the team to compete for a top-half finish by the end of the season.