Image Credits: Imago Images
Harvey Elliott finally broke his agonising drought at Aston Villa on Thursday night, making his first start in 123 days as the Villans came from two goals down to beat RB Salzburg 3-2 in the Europa League. The 22-year-old Liverpool loanee completed the full 90 minutes at Villa Park, nearly scoring inside the opening 30 seconds,
Elliott’s last start for Villa came way back on September 28th in a 3-1 Premier League win over Fulham, with the England U21 international frozen out by manager Unai Emery ever since. The Spanish tactician has been brutally honest about why Elliott has been sidelined – it’s all about the numbers. Villa agreed to an obligation-to-buy clause in the loan deal worth £35 million that triggers if Elliott makes 10 appearances for the club this season.
With eight games now under his belt, Elliott sits just two outings away from activating the clause – a purchase Villa have made crystal clear they do not want to complete.
Despite Elliott’s solid 90-minute showing in Villa’s comeback victory, Emery was quick to extinguish any hope of a dramatic u-turn after the final whistle. “His situation remains the same,” Emery stated bluntly to BBC Radio. “He had an excellent game today, but our plans for him do not alter.”
When pressed further on whether anything had changed following Elliott’s performance, Emery doubled down: “It is not changing, okay? It is not changing. I told you that his situation is not changing,” he told reporters. “He played, fantastic how he helped us, but there is no changing the [situation] with him.”
With the deadline looming on Monday, February 2nd at 7pm GMT, it means there is every chance that the 22-year-old is stuck at Villa Park for the remainder of the season.
READ MORE: Manager confirms he’s going to sign Liverpool forward
Want to get the latest Liverpool news direct to your phone? Join our WhatsApp community by clicking here.