Leon Bailey had far from the perfect start to life at Villa Park when he joined the Birmingham club in 2021.

The Jamaican international was forced to watch quite a few matches during his debut season in the Premier League from the sidelines as few niggling injuries followed him across the English Channel from Germany, where he enjoyed a fruitful four years at Bundesliga outfit Bayer Leverkusen.

But for the 2022-2023 season of the British top flight, Bailey wants to turn things around for himself, the team and the fans.

With a rise in confidence — fuelled by good physical conditioning, a rich pre-season and no injury weighing on the mind — the former Genk standout is ready to reproduce his best form for his storied Aston Villa.

“Physically, I feel amazing as last season was a tough one for me because from the very start of my time here at Villa I had difficulties with my body as I came here with previous injuries,” the wily winger told Villa TV recently.

“Everything just started off wrong and I hope I can change that this season and do what I know I can do. I feel like a new player, a new signing for Villa,” Bailey said.

He said belief in the integrity of his body in preparation for a rigorous season is colouring his outlook as Aston Villa look to snare silverware and slots in continental tournaments, primarily the Champions League. Their 11th-place finish last season is not an option if European glory is a motivator.

“I trust my body way more than I did last season…I know what I am capable of; I know what I can deliver, and I know how important I can be to the team.

“Again, I am feeling very confident, focused and I am ready to keep things going by winning game after game, and that’s the mentality,” Bailey shared.

He has admitted that his stuttering start to life in England provided valuable lessons as he seeks to establish himself in one of the toughest leagues in the world.

“The Premier League is one of the best leagues in the world, and I am kind of happy how the first season went because sometimes in life you have to learn from your mistakes, and you should take your failure as a lesson and that is something I have done. I

“I [now] have done my homework and my research to make sure I can come this season and dominate and help the team as much as possible,” Bailey asserted.

The Jamaican, who moved from Germany on a £40-m transfer deal, got his first goal this season in official competition, scoring coming off the bench in Villa’s 4-1 win over Bolton Wanderers last week in the League Cup.

That fixture was a confidence charge for not only Bailey, but the entire club, after a demoralising 1-3 loss to Crystal Palace in the Premiership the Saturday prior.

“From the get-go we all knew what we went there to do and this was a task we had to overcome, and that’s one task we have put away and we are happy about it…we did what the gaffer asked us to do and I think we did it well, and this gives us a lot of confidence moving forward,” he noted.

“It felt great to get my first goal, but the most important thing is the confidence that everybody got back after a tough defeat the weekend, and I think that was the most important thing that we got the win and advanced to the next round,” Bailey added.

The Reggae Boyz regular had a few goals during his club’s pre-season, which, he thinks, put him in a good position to rediscover the frightening form of one of Europe’s most exciting talents.

“It was really important for me because I didn’t have pre-season for the last two years. For me, this pre-season was huge, and it allowed me to trust my body and it gave me a lot of confidence. And the fact that I am scoring goals, makes me feel like I am back to my old self and that’s the kind of confidence I need,” he shared.

Bailey, 25, says one of the greatest things about one of Britian’s most revered clubs, are its fans. He thinks they deserve more than the cub has given them in the recent past, and it is therefore the duty of the team to repay their unwavering loyalty.

“Villa fans are amazing and some of the best fans I have seen…they are just awesome people, and you don’t get that at a lot of places…they are always there every step of the way, and they show how much they want this club to go forward.

“It’s now up to us to deliver that and make them happy and we really want to go on this journey with them and they are important to us, and we are going to do everything possible to give them some smiles on their faces, game after game,” Bailey ended.

On Sunday, Bailey was a 78th-minute substitute in the club’s 0-1 defeat to London outfit, West Ham United. Aston Villa lie in 15th place on the 20-team standing with three points, same as West Ham who are in 16th place. Arsenal continue to lead with 12 points after four matches.

— Sean Williams