Harvey Elliott warned about concerns with Unai Emery as disappointment emerges at Aston Villa
Harvey Elliott has had a tough start to life at Aston Villa.
Elliott joined Villa from Liverpool on deadline day as Unai Emery sought much-needed attacking depth.
The England Under-21 international joined alongside Jadon Sancho on loan from Manchester United, but neither has made an impact at this stage.
This was on show as Villa secured a 3-1 win over Fulham in their first Premier League win of the campaign at Villa Park.
Elliott started against his former side but was hooked at half-time, potentially raising annoyance from the 22-year-old in B6.
Harvey Elliott makes poor start to life at Aston Villa
Villa conceded from a corner against Fulham carelessly after just three minutes, but did grow into the game as it went on.
Ollie Watkins netted an excellent lob to level the game, before a quick-fire double in the second half secured all three points.
Emi Buendia came off the bench to grab a goal and an assist, arguably pushing himself above Elliott in the pecking order in doing so.
This is unlikely to go down well with the Liverpool loanee, but former Brentford boss Martin Allen believes he has to improve before making complaints to Emery.
Speaking exclusively to Villa News, Allen said: “Without a shadow of a doubt, he would have been disappointed.
“Unai Emery would have also been disappointed with his performance, because he wouldn’t have taken him off at half-time otherwise.
“Rather than Harvey [Elliott] turning to the manager, he should be looking in the mirror to improve and get a place in the starting 11.
“He found starting games at Liverpool very difficult, and he was a fantastic substitute.
“Emery won’t want him to be a 20-25 minute player, he has to do it from minute one to the last.
“It seems that he’s finding things difficult at Villa, he has to improve, and I’m sure Villa will help him to do that.“
Elliott can’t go knocking on Unai Emery’s door yet
In an interview before the Fulham clash, the attacking midfielder showed how much respect he has for Emery as his new manager.
Just over an hour later, the Spaniard was bringing Elliott off in bizarre fashion after what had been a mostly positive, although quiet, performance against the Cottagers.
This decision certainly pulled off with Buendia having a telling impact on the 3-1 win, leaving the summer signing with little ground for complaint.
| Stat vs Fulham | Harvey Elliott |
| Shots | 1 |
| Pass accuracy (%) | 94 |
| Touches in opposition box | 2 |
| Defensive contributions | 2 |
| Duel win rate (%) | 100 |
He will have frustrations about his time at Bodymoor Heath already, but has to bide his time before proving just how good he can be in claret and blue.
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