Villa chief Heck: The team is ahead of schedule

Aston Villa's president of business operations Chris Heck has spoken about the club's short and long-term plans.

The chief has helped oversee an improvement of the team's performances under coach Unai Emery.

While Heck is focused on the commercial and financial aspects of the club, he spoke about the overarching feeling after a year in charge.

He told the Birmingham Mail: It's been a learning experience. I do a lot of listening and there's still more to come from the listening factor. It's been a lifetime of thrills of watching this team evolve and this coach really orchestrate something special. Also, getting to appreciate how unique our fans are, the Villans, they are like no other."

On the club's ambitions, he added: "Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens [owners] have set their sights on the top. We've been talking about how our performance has been amongst the best, not only in the Premier League but in the world.

That isn't something that is a one and done - it's a long-term plan. Unai is executing that plan. Our players are playing magnificent football and we need to follow that trend on the business side and continue to support them. Their growth and success has been so strong and earlier than we expected."