Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has preferred Emi Buendia to Harvey Elliott so far this season
Aston Villa's Harvey Elliott
Aston Villa's Harvey Elliott(Image: OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)
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Unai Emery says there are more factors behind Harvey Elliott’s lack of game time than simply Emi Buendia’s resurgence.
Elliott, who joined Villa on an initial loan deal, has made only five appearances for the club since arriving on deadline day.
If the 22-year-old plays another five games, Villa will be obligated to pay Liverpool £35 million to sign him permanently as part of the agreement.
Elliott was unable to feature against his parent club when Villa travelled to Anfield at the start of the month, but he was also left out of both matchday squads to face Manchester City and Bournemouth.
Emery has previously said he views Elliott’s best position as a No. 10, but he pointed to the number of options in that role as the reason his minutes have been limited.
Buendia, who was expected to leave Villa last summer, is one of the players ahead of Elliott in the pecking order. The Argentine has produced six goal contributions so far this season, scoring against Fulham, Feyenoord, Tottenham, and Bournemouth.
"He had an injury for 10 months, and after he was training with us. He needed time to get in everything - good, mentally, physically confident,” Emery said of Buendia’s form.
“He struggled last year and all the season, firstly with us for six months, not getting his performance and not playing consistently and not feeling really good.
“When he was on loan in Germany, with Bayer Leverkusen, he didn't achieve his confidence. He didn't achieve minutes. He didn't achieve numbers to recover himself, like a player he is.
"This year is completely different. He started so focused. He started the season very demanding, getting fit, feeling confident, playing with his skills, showing in each match he played in pre-season.
“Everything that happened around him, he deserved it because he worked hard to recover his best form as a player like he had before he was here.
“When we decided to keep him here, and he decided to stay here as well, I was confident he could get the numbers he is achieving."
Asked if Buendia’s performances have been the main factor for Elliott’s lack of game time, Emery said: “It is everything, because the adaptation is something that some players need more than others.
"But the team is going forward and being very demanding to achieve individual and collective performance, also the consistency we need.
“Some players, they need more time, or we can speak about how he struggled last year, Buendia, to achieve what he is doing this season.
“Harvey Elliott, he is working very well. He is working consistently. He is a good guy and his commitment to Aston Villa is fantastic.
“I am happy how he is doing his work here, but now it is difficult because he has other players playing and performing well, for example Emi Buendia and other players.”
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