Unai Emery has highlighted Emi Buendia's resurgence as one of the reasons for Harvey Elliott's lack of game time at Aston Villa.
The 22-year-old completed an initial loan move to Villa Park from Liverpool on transfer deadline day, but has since featured just six times for the club.
Harvey Elliott's move to Villa Park has not gone according to plan so far
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Harvey Elliott's move to Villa Park has not gone according to plan so farCredit: Getty
As part of the deal, Villa are obliged to sign Elliott permanently for £35million should he make ten appearances this season.
However, the playmaker has notplayed in the Premier League since September, when he was brought off at half-time against Fulham, after making his only top-flight start all season.
And more recently, Elliot has found himself left out of Villa's matchday squads altogether.
He wasn't even named on the bench in their last match - a 4-0 thrashing of Bournemouth - as well as in their 1-0 win over Manchester City on October 26.
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In between this, Elliott was ineligible to face his parent club Liverpool when his side travelled Anfield earlier this month.
What has Unai Emery said about Elliott?
A No.10 by trade, Elliott's impact has been limited by the performances of other players in his position, namely Emi Buendia's return to form.
Having been told he was free to leave Villa in the summer transfer window, the Argentine has since registered six goal contributions this term, scoring againstFulham, Feyenoord,Tottenham and Bournemouth.
And manager Emery insisted Elliott is not at fault for his lack of game-time, ahead of his side's trip to Leeds on Sunday.
Asked if Buendia's impressive displays have been behind Elliott's limited opportunities, the Spaniard responded: "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.
Unai Emery has a selection headache with
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Unai Emery has a selection headache withCredit: Getty
"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."
Emery went on to praise Buendia for his turnaround at Villa, having recovered from an ACL injury which saw him miss the entire 2023/24 campaign.
The 28-year-old spent the second half of last season on loan at Bayer Leverkusen, but started just four games of a total of 14.
Hailing Buendia's resurgence, Emery said of him: "This year is completely different.
Emi Buendia has four goals and two assists in all competitions this season
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Emi Buendia has four goals and two assists in all competitions this seasonCredit: Getty
"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."
Elliott's Villa career so far
Elliott made his Villa debut with a 19-minute cameo off the bench against Everton , which finished 0-0.
The former England Under-21s star was handed his first start in the following match against Brentford in the Carabao Cup.
All but two of Elliott's six Villa appearances have been off the bench
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All but two of Elliott's six Villa appearances have been off the benchCredit: AFP
Elliott was an unused substitute in Villa's 1-0 win over Bologna in the Europa League but then returned to the starting lineup for a Premier League clash against Fulham.
But he was was brought off at half-time against the Cottagers, as his side went on to claim a 3-1 win.
His last action in a Villa shirt came in a four-minute cameo against Feyenoord in the Europa League on October 2.
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Since then, Elliott was on the bench for Villa's next three fixtures against Burnley, Tottenham and Go Ahead Eagles, before sitting out their league games against Man City and Liverpool.
He was among the substitutes for a 2-0 win over Maccabi Tel Aviv in early November, before dropping out of the squad again for his side's last match against Bournemouth.