Liverpool loanee Harvey Elliott hasn't played a Premier League game for Aston Villa since September 28 after being frozen out of the squad by manager Unai Emery
12:47, 25 Jan 2026Updated 13:05, 25 Jan 2026
Harvey Elliott is back for Aston Villa
Harvey Elliott is back for Aston Villa(Image: Getty Images)
Harvey Elliott has been handed a lifeline at Aston Villa after being named in Unai Emery's Premier League squad for the first time in more than three months.
Elliott, who has been linked with both a return to Liverpool and a transfer to Major League Soccer this month, has been named on the bench for Sunday's game against Newcastle at St. James' Park.
The midfielder arrived in Birmingham on a season-long deal at the start of September, with Villa having an obligation to make that deal permanent at the end of the campaign. Yet it later transpired that Villa would only need to do that if he made 10 appearances.
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Elliott played five times for Villa before being frozen out by Emery. His most recent Premier League appearance came during the 3-1 win against Fulham on September 28, while his last outing was against Feyenoord in the Europa League on October 2.
Since then, he's only made the bench five times. The last time he was in a Premier League matchday squad was for the 2-1 win at Tottenham on October 19.
Reports suggested there was some discrepancy between Liverpool and Villa over the terms of Elliott's transfer. It was claimed that Villa would have to pay Liverpool £35 million ($47.4 million) at the end of the season once the player reached 10 appearances.
Elliott might finally get the chance to play again
Elliott might finally get the chance to play again(Image: Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP via Getty Images)
Elliott's return to the matchday squad suggests Villa and Liverpool may have revised their agreement. But his return may also be down to Villa's mounting injury crisis, with John McGinn, Boubacar Kamara and Ross Barkley all ruled out of Sunday's game.
If Liverpool and Villa have revised their transfer agreement, it's unclear at this stage what those new terms may be.
Elliott's move to Villa was supposed to kick-start his career. The 22-year-old was looking to play regular Premier League soccer for the first time in his career after making 149 appearances for Liverpool as a squad player under Jurgen Klopp and Arne Slot.
The Englishman enjoyed significant success at Anfield and became a popular figure after winning several trophies, including last season's Premier League title. Yet it was difficult for him to break into Liverpool's starting XI, with so much talent available to Slot.
Elliott's stock was at an all-time high last summer after helping England win the U21 Euros for the second time in three years; he was named as the Player of the Tournament. But the move to Villa Park hasn't worked out, at least not yet.
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"The problem we have with Harvey is that this year he is on loan, and in case he plays matches, we must buy him," said Emery earlier this month. "We decided two months ago that we are not convinced to sign him, spending the money we would need to sign him.
"This is the only issue. He is training every day, always every day, with very good behavior, and to help us in training sessions.
"This is not something good for him and good for us, but this is football, and sometimes we must take some decisions which are not good for everyone."