Jadon Sancho will be furious after suffering the ultimate humiliation with Aston Villa.
The England international joined on a season-long loan from Manchester United in the hope of reigniting a career which is in serious danger of fizzling out. Starting in Manchester City's youth setup, Sancho moved to Borussia Dortmund where he emerged as one of world football's top young stars, earning himself a £73million move to Old Trafford in the summer of 2021.
Unfortunately, the winger has struggled to fulfil his potential with the Red Devils, leading him to endure loan spells with Dortmund and Chelsea, where his performances were mixed at best.
Now at Villa Park and earning £250,000 per week when bonuses are triggered, Sancho is determined to prove his doubters wrong but will not be pleased at how things are playing out.
Sancho Humiliated by Emery Against Man City
Unai Emery and Jadon Sancho during Aston Villa 1-0 Manchester City
Sancho's start to life with Aston Villa hasn't gone well. The 25-year-old has been limited to just two Premier League appearances so far, while being an unused substitute in three of the five matches that he's been available for.
Brought on after 29 minutes against Manchester City on Sunday to replace the injured Emiliano Buendia, Sancho was lively as he registered two shots on target and five touches inside the opposition's box, the second-most of any Villa player. But despite his efforts, he was withdrawn in the 74th minute as he was replaced by Evann Guessand.
The decision was explained by Emery post-match, who insisted that the decision was pre-planned and not the humiliating snub that it would appear.
"Yes, sure he's (Sancho) not happy, but I did it before with Morgan Rogers, with Emiliano Buendia, with Leon Bailey, and he played 60 minutes on Thursday," Emery said.
"Today, when he (Buendia) was injured, my plan was maybe in case he (Sancho) was going to play 30 minutes, but I decided to play more and he played 45 minutes.
"But my plan was when he was swapped with Emiliano Buendia, the idea was maybe not to play all the minutes until the last moment.
"And I told him as well, he can feel it, it's embarrassing.
"Before Morgan, Emiliano Buendia and Leon Bailey, they felt the same when I subbed them, but it was not a punishment. And now it's not a punishment.
"He played 45 minutes. I am so happy because his impact was good, his electricity, his skill, but then to play more than now, he's not ready fit to play 90 minutes. Forty-five minutes is not easy enough for him, and I am happy and, of course, progressively, he's getting better and better."
While Emery's explanation is logical, there's no doubt that Sancho will be gutted at the way his afternoon played out at Villa Park. After all, if he's hoping to get his career back on track he'll be hoping to become a key player for Villa before too long.
Harvey Elliott will be dissatisfied after he was omitted from the matchday squad for the clash with Manchester City, but Sancho will have been embarrassed following the decision to substitute him after already coming off the bench.