Hendrie, who was at Villa when they were not quite as high flying, spoke about the transformation manager Unai Emery has overseen at the club.
The Midlands side are in the Champions League and battling for another top four finish this season.
“They’ve been phenomenal – it’s brilliant,” Hendrie stated, per club media.
“The club, just to see it slowly progress from the Championship, for them to get relegated to understand to rebuild the football club, and then to slowly progress to where they’ve got to, the journey has been phenomenal.
“What we achieved as a football club last season was outrageous, and that’s down to the management.
“I watch him (Emery) and just think there’s obviously something that, recruitment-wise, he looks at. What he likes in players, and that he can get the best out of them. That’s what I think he’s so good at.
“The understanding that he has with the players and what he gets out of the players, even with the change of style and formation, he is a brave man in what he’s done at the football club. He’s taken us to another level.”