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Harvey Elliott is ‘increasingly frustrated’ with a lack of game time at Aston Villa as a report details the reasons for Unai Emery’s continued pursuit of a Liverpool loan.
Elliott joined Aston Villa on deadline day on a season-long loan that includes a buyout obligation of around $35 million if he makes just ten appearances this season.
He has made six so far, but only two as a starter, and he has been limited to just four minutes off the bench – at Feyenoord on October 2 – in the last six weeks, having also made the matchday squad for Premier League wins over Manchester City and Bournemouth.
Athletic Report that Paris Saint-Germain’s Marco Asensio and West Ham’s Lucas Paqueta were both Emery’s ‘preferred options’ in the summer and claim that Elliott’s lack of football is ‘largely because he has not yet fully adjusted to Emery’s strict footballing demands’.
Emery ‘prefers more approach’ from his attacking midfielders than when Elliott was coming off the bench at Liverpool to change the game.
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Morgan Rodgers, John McGann and Uri Tielemans are Emery’s preferred options in midfield, while Emiliano Buendia’s Nisha. Sania has seen him ahead of Elliott, and even Ross Barkley – usually used more as a No.6 by Emery – has recently been pushed ahead of the England U21 star.
When asked why the 22-year-old was not in the squad for the victory over City, Emery said: “He’s been training well, and he’s played a few matches, but the performances weren’t what he needed.
“In the squad, we needed to take a player out, and I decided (it’s) happy with him. He’s training well. His commitment is fantastic and he’s a good guy. (It’s) just a tactical decision.”
The report states that ‘the number 10 is a key player in the Spaniard’s system who must be tactically no-nonsense, conceded to the motivations set by the striker, but also calm and involved in possession’, and Emery clearly does not believe Elliott is the man for the role, at least for now.
The report added that there is ‘increasing frustration on the part of the player, as the situation continues to worsen’, and Elliott has ‘increasingly expressed frustration over the last month because he was not expected to sit down at the opportunity or was told up front when he signed’.
