All 93 words Unai Emery said about Harvey Elliott after Aston Villa snub vs Manchester City
Unai Emery surprisingly left Harvey Elliott out of the Aston Villa squad to face Manchester City.
Villa secured a 1-0 win over Man City at Villa Park on Sunday in a hugely solid performance after defeat last time out.
Go Ahead Eagles beat Villa 2-1 last time out, but things couldn’t have been more different for the claret and blue outfit on 26 October.
Matty Cash netted a controversial opener against City to secure three points for the Villans as Erling Haaland’s late equaliser was ruled out for offside.
Emery was pleased with his side’s performance, but it raised questions about Elliott’s future in the Midlands.
Unai Emery explains Harvey Elliott omission vs Manchester City
Elliott didn’t feature for Villa against Go Ahead Eagles as he remained on the bench for the entire 90 minutes in the Netherlands.
Villa fans were surprised by this, considering the attacking midfielder hasn’t played since 2 October when he came off the bench against Feyenoord.
It was even more shocking to supporters when Elliott was left out of the squad entirely as the starting 11 was named to face Manchester City.
The Liverpool loanee was nowhere to be seen, sparking widespread concern and confusion among supporters on social media.
Speaking after the game, Emery was asked about the Englishman’s whereabouts before explaining the rationale for Elliott’s omission.
He said: “In the squad, we needed one player to take out, but I decided on him. I am happy with him, he’s training well.
“His commitment is fantastic, he’s a good guy. It was a tactical decision. I spoke with him about it, and my advice was to ‘keep going’.
“He’s a very good player, only our demands are at a high level, and some players and how they are performing last year and this year, are playing in the same position.
“We signed him because I believe in him. He will need time.“
Aston Villa should let Elliott return to Liverpool
There was huge excitement when the versatile attacker signed from Anfield on a season-long loan with an obligation to buy.
The ex-Fulham youngster looked to be the creative spark that the Villans needed after what had been a dismal summer transfer window and start to the season.
Elliott scored Villa’s first goal of the campaign against Brentford as he looked destined to have a stellar career in claret and blue.
That hasn’t been the case, as the Englishman has played just five times for the B6 club since.
Emery clearly has no loyalty to the summer signing, and it would make more sense to send him back to Liverpool rather than keep him around Bodymoor Heath for no reason.
Cancelling his loan rather than risking a sizable obligation fee would make sense in the sorry situation for everyone involved.
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