Harvey Elliott has made five appearances since joining Aston Villa on loan from Liverpool, with manager Unai Emery explaining the reasons behind the playmaker’s limited game time.
Manager Unai Emery has explained that there are multiple factors behind Harvey Elliott’s limited game time at Aston Villa, not just Emi Buendia’s impressive recovery. Elliott arrived at Villa Park on deadline day on his first loan deal and has made just five appearances for the club so far.
Under the terms of his contract, the 22-year-old will have to pay Liverpool £35m to make his move permanent if he plays five more games.
The midfielder was not eligible to play against his parent club when Villa visited Anfield earlier this month, but was also left out of the matchday squads for games against Manchester City and Bournemouth.
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Emery has previously said he believes Elliott’s strongest position is No. 10, but stressed that his lack of options in that area is a key reason for his limited minutes, while also saying he has had a long time to adapt.
Buendia, who was expected to leave Villa last summer, is currently one of the players above Elliott in the division. The Argentine has scored six goals this season, finding the net against Fulham, Feyenoord, Tottenham and Bournemouth.
Emery explained Buendia’s return: “He was injured for 10 months and after training with us. He needed time to get everything in order. He was in good shape, mentally and physically confident.”
“He struggled last year and throughout the season, first of all he was with us for six months and his performances were inconsistent and he wasn’t in good shape.
“When he was on loan at Bayer Leverkusen in Germany, he didn’t have the confidence, he didn’t get the minutes, he didn’t get the numbers to redeem himself like players like him.
“This year is completely different. He started very focused. He started a very demanding season and played fit, confident and with his skills, which he showed in each game he played in pre-season.”
“Everything that happened around him, he deserved it because he worked so hard to get back to the best he was as a player like he was before he got here.
“When we decided to keep him here, and he decided to stay here, I was confident he could achieve the numbers he’s achieving.”
Asked if Buendia’s impressive display was the main reason for Elliott’s limited minutes, Emery said: “That’s everything, because adaptation is more necessary for some players than others.”
“But the team is moving forward and is very demanding of individual and collective performance and achieving the consistency that we need.
“Some players need more time, and if not we can talk about Buendia and how Buendia struggled last year to achieve what he achieved this season.
“Harvey Elliott, he works very well, he works consistently. He’s a good bloke and his commitment to Aston Villa is great.
“I’m happy that he’s doing his job here, but it’s difficult right now because he has other players, like Emi Buendia and others, who are playing and performing well.”
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