Harvey Elliott has struggled for minutes since being loaned to Aston Villa, but injury could open the door for the game against Newcastle
Harvey Elliott could be involved in a rare opportunity as Aston Villa head to Newcastle
Aston Villa have brought in Harvey Elliott for Sunday’s game against Newcastle, despite him being on the outside for almost the entirety of his loan spell.
The Liverpool star has had a miserable spell since joining Villa Park in the summer, but was included in Unai Emery’s squad for the game against Newcastle. The Spanish manager has shown little desire to appoint Elliott, whose future is uncertain.
However, injuries to Boubakar Kamara and John McGinn meant the England Under-21 star was forced to travel for the match at St James’ Park. The playmaker is a peripheral figure and Villa are likely aware that they could sign a £35m deal for the player.
If he played 10 games in the Premier League, they would have to pay the fee. According to the Telegraph, Emery insists he expects the player to return to Anfield, with five of those games to be played in the second half of the season.
“The problem we have with Harvey is that he is out on loan this year and if he plays a game we have to buy him. We decided two months ago that we didn’t feel comfortable signing him and we spent the money we needed to sign him.”
read more: Harvey Elliott’s nightmare as theory emerges that Liverpool could miss out on millionsread more: Unai Emery’s ‘strange’ post-match interview after Aston Villa defeat: ‘I’m not a favorite yet’
“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’s fitness issues could open the door for a rare appearance for Elliott, who was named player of the match at the Under-21 Euros in the summer but is yet to hit the ground running. Despite interest from the likes of RB Leipzig, he headed to the Midlands, but his progress has stalled despite an excellent season for Villa.
Unai Emery has largely chosen to overlook his lone star (Image: Neville Williams/Aston Villa FC via Getty Images)
Elliott has represented Liverpool and Villa in all competitions this season and will not be able to join a third European club on loan or on a long-term deal in January.
The former Fulham star was a very active player for Liverpool, with Arne Slott using him primarily off the bench. He left Merseyside as a result, but has endured similar struggles. Villa hope to stay in the title race by moving them back to level on points with second-placed Manchester City with the win, leaving them four points behind Arsenal.
This is despite Emery’s extremely pessimistic outlook after last week’s defeat to Everton. He claimed that the five teams had greater potential than Villa.
“We are not a candidate to be in the top five. We are not a contender yet. There are other teams who have more potential than us,” Emery said.
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