Unai Emery has admitted that Aston Villa could take a decision on Harvey Elliott's future in January
Aston Villa loanee Harvey Elliott
Aston Villa loanee Harvey Elliott(Image: Getty Images)
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Former goalkeeper Shay Given believes Unai Emery would prefer to spend £35 million elsewhere rather than on Harvey Elliott.
The Liverpool loanee will join Aston Villa permanently if he makes 10 appearances for the club, but he has featured only five times over the last three months.
Elliott has been left out of Villa’s last four Premier League matchday squads. He was ineligible to play against his parent club, Liverpool, and also missed the matches against Manchester City, Bournemouth, and Leeds United.
Ahead of Villa’s Europa League game against BSC Young Boys, Unai Emery was asked whether Elliott faces an uncertain future with the January transfer window approaching.
"We now have a lot of matches. We must focus on each match with the players we have now. We are not thinking about the transfer window in January. He is one of our players and hopefully he can help us. Then, we are going to decide."
Ex-Villa ‘keeper Given believes that Emery might well have already made his mind up up on Elliott, and doesn’t want to pay £35 million.
“I think it's a tricky one because if he starts 10 games then Villa will have to pay a certain amount of money, and that's already agreed,” Given told Betway.
“Maybe he's not fitted in as well as Emery thought, and now he thinks he could maybe spend that money elsewhere. I never really liked those clauses for players because it can hold him back.
“It's not ideal, if I'm being brutally honest. But I remember last summer he was Player of the Tournament for England Under-21s. He scored some important goals last year for Liverpool when they won the league, as well, and I thought personally he would have played more games, especially in the earlier part of the season when Villa were struggling.
“I don't know what Harvey will be thinking but it’ll likely be about keeping his head down, pushing on and working hard in training.
“He strikes me as the kind of person who is really dedicated to his profession, so it'll be hurting him that he's not playing more games. Harvey's at the age where he should be playing regularly now in the Premier League.
“He'll be frustrated, but it’ll be interesting to see if he doesn't play between now and January he could go back to Liverpool.”
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