Unai Emery named a teenager on the Aston Villa bench instead of Harvey Elliott for the club's trip to Leeds United
Harvey Elliott of Aston Villa
Harvey Elliott of Aston Villa(Image: Jacob King/PA Wire)
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Harvey Elliott’s time at Aston Villa hit a new low on Sunday.
The Liverpool loanee cannot get a kick at the moment and is clearly not what Unai Emery wants, despite arriving on deadline day with Villa also negotiating a potential purchase clause for the midfielder.
Elliott will become a permanent member of the Villa squad if he makes 10 appearances, with five of those coming so far in his first three months at the club.
However, he has not been included in the last four Premier League squads, although he was ineligible to play against parent club Liverpool.
After not featuring against Manchester City, Bournemouth, or Leeds United, Elliott hasn’t played a single minute of league football since the 3–1 win over Fulham back in September.
It has now been eight weeks since he last played Premier League football, having been taken off at half-time in that Fulham match. On Sunday, 18-year-old George Hemmings was selected ahead of him.
Hemmings is an exciting talent and, to be fair, a different type of player than Elliott. But John McGinn and Ross Barkley could both have filled in the double pivot in the absence of Amadou Onana if either Youri Tielemans or Boubacar Kamara needed to be replaced at some stage at Elland Road.
Elliott has been named on the bench for all four of Villa’s Europa League matches so far this season, and given that Emery can name a larger matchday squad in that competition, there’s a fair chance he will again be among the substitutes against BSC Young Boys.
But with Hemmings preferred ahead of Elliott on Sunday, there is little suggestion that he will feature against Wolves next weekend - especially if there are no injuries during the midweek fixture.
If Elliott does return to Liverpool in January, transfer rules dictate that he cannot play for a third club this season, having already featured for the Reds in the Community Shield - where he missed a penalty in the shootout defeat to Crystal Palace - and as a late substitute in the 3–2 win over Newcastle in August.
He could, however, return to Arne Slot’s squad and feature for them in the second half of the season.
Right now, there doesn’t appear to be a way in for Elliott at Villa, with Emery making his stance clear on a possible permanent transfer in recent weeks. If Emery doesn't believe that the 22-year-old does fit his squad, then it's sensible not to play him else Villa will be obligated to pay £35 million for a player who the manager clearly isn't convinced by.
On Friday, ahead of Villa’s trip to Leeds, Emery was asked whether Emi Buendia’s form was blocking Elliott’s involvement.
“It is everything, because the adaptation is something that some players need more than others,” Emery explained.
"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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