Aston Villa supporters do not look back fondly on Steven Gerrard’s brief tenure as manager, but there can be no question his legacy was the signing of Boubacar Kamara.

Gerrard was hugely influential in the capture of the France international in May 2022, making a personal visit to Kamara’s Marseille apartment to persuade him to join on a free transfer.

In Kamara’s early years growing up in the port city, the former Liverpool captain was a hero of his so the prospect of playing under him was always going to prove decisive.

Gerrard’s reign did not last long, ending brutally in October that year, and it is now Unai Emery who is discovering that Kamara is indispensable for Villa.

Kamara is the low-maintenance star who goes under the radar but is arguably Villa’s most underrated – perhaps even best – player.

While there is the brilliance of showman Emiliano Martínez, the goals of Ollie Watkins, unpredictability of Jhon Durán and the ball of Scottish energy that is John McGinn, Kamara is utterly invaluable.

It is perhaps only now with outstanding operators such as Manchester City’s Rodri that we can fully appreciate the importance of a defensive midfielder. Kamara is Villa’s equivalent of the current Ballon d’Or holder, a footballer designed for the modern game: he regularly drops into the back line when Villa are building up attacks forward, and can comfortably dictate the pace of matches.

When Villa signed him at the age of 22, they had done their homework for the mid to long-term. Kamara had played all the junior levels from under-17s upwards up to France’s senior team, while also possessing vast experience in both the Champions League and Europa League with Marseille.

Ultra-professional and dedicated to improvement, Kamara is a dream for such a meticulous manager as Emery.

Emery said: “Kamara is a very important player, he gives us a lot of balance. Tactically he is very intelligent and his capacity to keep possession or cover when we’re attacking can help us.

“When he was injured we lost that balance but now he’s back we need to continue the process with him. Now with [Amadou] Onana, Youri Tielemans and [John] McGinn we have very strong midfielders keeping us at the level we need and Kamara is one of those players.”

It is imperative to Villa’s season, both in the Champions League and Premier League, that he remains fit. He missed the second half of last season and the start of this one with a serious knee ligament injury.

Though Villa were being propelled on a tidal wave of momentum by the brilliance of Emery, Kamara’s absence was huge. During his time out injured, Villa’s defensive performances dropped significantly and weakened the influence of Douglas Luiz. The first two months of rehabilitation were difficult. With Villa embarking on a stirring journey under Emery to eventually secure a top-four finish, Kamara was aware it would be a long road back. Yet his mentality remained iron-strong and the high standards of his daily recovery routine impressed club staff.

Now he has returned to add solidity and intelligence to Villa’s midfield. He made his long-awaited return as a substitute in the Champions League match at home to Bologna on Oct 22 and has played consistently since. Against Southampton on Saturday, in his 50th Premier League appearance for the club, Kamara once again underlined his enduring quality.

It is tempting to wonder whether Villa would have been under pressure to sell him this summer if he had avoided injury.

Pressure to comply with the Premier League’s profitability and sustainability rules forced some uncomfortable decisions, and Kamara has admirers across Europe. Yet he is now only focusing on a future in claret and blue. Kamara turned 25 last month and has his best years ahead of him. Villa are aware of his importance and even feel he can play with £50 million record signing Onana together in midfield.

Ahead of Villa’s sixth Champions League match, away at RB Leipzig on Tuesday night, Kamara will have another chance to underline why he is Emery’s most valuable player.