Harvey Elliott has barely played for Aston Villa this season but was given a rare appearance in the Europa League, but Unai Emery has not changed his plans for the future
Harvey Elliott made a rare start for Aston Villa against Red Bull Salzburg
Harvey Elliott made his first appearance for Aston Villa on Thursday in almost three months, but Unai Emery insisted “the situation remains the same” that the club does not want him permanently.
The playmaker spent the summer talking about where he would end up following his impressive performance at the Under-21 Euros, before being loaned to Villa Park on deadline day and being named the tournament’s player of the match. With his future at Liverpool uncertain, he left for their Premier League rivals.
However, Elliott is not to Emery’s liking and the former Fulham youngster has hardly featured. He was given the rare privilege of playing in the Europa League comeback win against Red Bull Salzburg.
The Villa manager was impressed by the loanee, who would need to sign him permanently after 10 appearances, but he has no intention of doing so.
Emery said: “The situation hasn’t changed. It hasn’t changed. As I said yesterday, his situation hasn’t changed. The way he played today and helped us was very good. But that doesn’t change our opinion of him.”
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Villa are obligated to sign Elliott for £35m if they continue to feature, which is probably why Emery left him out of the starting XI. Emery doesn’t want to keep him permanently – a reality he made clear a few months ago when asked about the situation.
“The problem we have with Harvey is he’s on loan this year and we have to get him in case he plays a game,” he said. “We decided two months ago that we didn’t feel comfortable signing him and spending the money it took to sign him.
Manager Unai Emery has shown no desire to bring Harvey Elliott back in the long term (Image: Neville Williams/Aston Villa FC via Getty Images)
“That’s the only problem. He always comes to training every day with a very good attitude and helps us in the training sessions. It’s not good for him or for us, but this is football and sometimes you have to make decisions that are not good for everyone.”
Villa have had an excellent season, staying just four points clear of Premier League leaders Arsenal, and have recently invested in further quality, signing Tammy Abraham and Douglas Luiz on loan for the remainder of the season. Emery still has Villa competing in the league, FA Cup and Europa League.
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