Unai Emery gave middle finger to fans after Arsenal comment at Southampton as new Aston Villa manager prepares for Gunners reunion in February

New Aston Villa manager Unai Emery returns to the Premier League with a point to prove - and some scores to settle.

The Spaniard has been confirmed as Steven Gerrard's replacement at Villa Park, four days after the ex-Liverpool midfielder was sacked.

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Emery has an exceptional CV after successful reigns at Valencia, Sevilla, Paris Saint-Germain and Villarreal.

But things did not go to plan when he replaced Arsene Wenger at the Emirates in 2018.

Gunners supporters never warmed to Emery and a toxic tenure was ended after 18 months.

And it appears the ill-feeling lingers.

The Spaniard took his Villarreal side to Southampton for a pre-season friendly in July earlier this year and faced jibes outside St Mary's as he signed autographs.

One fan asked Emery to say 'good ebening' in reference to the manager's famous opening line at press conferences, which was mercilessly mocked during his spell at the Emirates.

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Another told Emery he did 'very good' at Arsenal - at which point Emery showed his middle finger to the supporters.

The former Gunners manager looked down the lens of the camera and smiled as the fans laughed, suggesting it was all in good faith.

Emery has already dished out some revenge on Arsenal as his Villarreal side booted the Gunners out of the Europa League in 2021.

The Yellow Submarine went on to beat Man United in the final to secure Emery's fourth Europa League title.

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Last season, Emery's Villarreal downed Juventus and Bayern Munich in the Champions League before getting beaten by Liverpool in the semi-finals.

Emery will take charge of Villa on November 1 and hosts Arsenal in the Premier League on February 18.