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Conor Hourihane was a top buy for Aston Villa

The 2024/25 season witnesses Aston Villa mixing in with the big boys of European football in the Champions League after Unai Emery's men landed a top four spot in the Premier League last season.

An early October victory over Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich symbolised how far Villa have risen in recent years, and that the club have restored their glory days.

But just over five years ago, the West Midlands outfit were plying their trade in the Championship until they won the play-off final against Derby County in May 2019.

Villa's starting 11 at Wembley that day included the likes of John McGinn, who continues to be a key player among their ranks, and Jack Grealish, who has gone on to win the Champions League with Manchester City and represent England in a World Cup.

But Villa's team, then managed by Dean Smith, also contained players who will be more widely considered as Football League journeymen, such as former Bristol City and Middlesbrough man Albert Adomah and Conor Hourihane, who returned to Barnsley last June, after departing the South Yorkshire club in favour of a move to Villa Park back in 2017.

Hourihane was a top buy for Villa in the EFL

Villa signed the former Tykes captain for an undisclosed fee in January 2017, after the central midfielder had excelled at Oakwell for two-and-a-half seasons.

The Ireland international initially joined the Tykes from then League Two Plymouth Argyle following a 2013/14 campaign in which he had managed a return of eight goals in 45 fourth tier appearances.

But upon moving to South Yorkshire, the former Pilgrims man discovered a newfound killer instinct in the final third, and scored 13 goals as well as producing 13 assists during a 2014/15 League One season which saw Barnsley finish 11th.

The following campaign then saw the Tykes earn promotion to the Championship via the play-offs, and Hourihane produced yet another impressive return of 10 goals and 13 assists, which helped spear his side to the second tier.

The first half of the 2016/17 Championship season then saw the midfielder continue to produce the goods in the final third, as he scored six goals and created 11 assists for the Tykes, which was enough to impress Villa, who signed him in a deal worth £3m in January 2017.

Hourihane's impact at Villa Park was not immediate, as he scored just one goal, while making three assists in 17 appearances during the latter half of the 2016/17 second tier season.

But before long, the Ireland international found himself in among the goals for the West Midlands outfit, and scored on 11 occasions during the 2017/18 Championship campaign as Villa finished fourth but would ultimately miss out on promotion via a 1-0 defeat to Fulham in the 2018 play-off final.

However, neither the Irishman nor his then Villa teammates appeared too disheartened by their Wembley defeat, and would return to the play-off final a year later, this time emerging victorious.

Hourihane also played a key role in the West Midlands side's promotion-clinching campaign, as he scored eight goals and provided 11 assists in the second tier.

Hourihane was less successful in the Premier League

The former Argyle man then managed three goals and five assists during a 2019/20 Premier League season in which Villa avoided relegation by just one point at Bournemouth's expense.

But after that, Hourihane never made much of a mark for the men from Villa Park at top-flight level, and subsequently endured loan spells at both Swansea City and Sheffield United.

However, the Villa faithful will also be grateful for the fact that Hourihane played a significant role in guiding their side back to the Premier League following an unwanted three-season absence.