The 31-year-old midfielder – who first played for the Midlands side on loan while a Chelsea player in 2021 before returning permanently last year – hopes to get back into the England squad for the first time since 2019 but domestic matters are his priority and he hopes to help his club secure silverware.

He told The Athletic: “I could have done things differently, but I feel everything’s made me become a better person.

“The best thing was making my debut for Everton, as well as my debut for England. That was a dream.

“Now, I’d like to win a trophy at Villa, because the manager’s time at the club deserves it, and the team deserve to play in the final and win a trophy.”

Ross has a good relationship with his manager and appreciates the fact Emery is always frank.

He said: “He’s clear. He doesn’t bulls***. He loves me as a player. He saw me at Luton and was like, ‘How did you go down your career path?’.

“From leaving Chelsea to go to Nice, then from Nice to Luton — he couldn’t understand it. He said my talent shouldn’t have had the career path I’ve had.

“But sometimes, certain decisions you make throughout your career, maybe outside of football, affect that.”

Despite his career us and downs, Ross is proud of his mental resilience.

He said: “My love for football has always remained.

“A lot of players in my position could have ended up in the Championship and then drifted, maybe falling out of love with the game, or being in League One. No disrespect, but I’ve always been in the Premier League, so I was happy.

“It showed mental resilience to be able to go again.”