Roma forward Edin Dzeko is unsurprised by how prolific he has been this season after netting a hat-trick in a 4-0 Europa League win over Villarreal.

The Bosnia-Herzegovina international took his tally to a competition-high eight with his treble at the Estadio de la Ceramica on Thursday.

After struggling last season, Dzeko has also scored 18 league goals to be level with Juventus star Gonzalo Higuain atop the Serie A charts.

Dzeko said it was what he expected from himself, and the former Manchester City forward wants more.

"No, it's not a surprise for me because I've always scored goals – just last year was a bit different," he said, via the club's website.

"This is where I'm at now and I want to push on and prove I can do even better."

Roma took complete control of their last-32 tie against Villarreal, with Emerson giving them a first-half lead.

Dzeko was the star of the second half, scoring three times in the final 25 minutes to have the Serie A side in command.

"We were fantastic. We gave nothing away at the back and put four goals past a solid Spanish outfit like Villarreal. We were excellent," he said.

"Every match is a story unto itself. Sometimes we struggle away from home against the smaller teams in Serie A but we showed just how good we are."