Harvey Elliott puts Unai Emery in awkward position as Aston Villa boss watches Valencia

Harvey Elliott left his Aston Villa loan spell last season without a permanent contract.

The 23-year-old midfielder joined Villa on loan for the 2025-26 campaign from Liverpool.

As part of the terms of the deal, his move would've been made permanent for £35million if he played 10 times for the Villains.

Elliott made nine appearances, with his solitary Villa goal coming in the Carabao Cup.

Down the pecking order at Anfield, however, the Englishman was sent back out on loan once again this summer.

Now plying his trade with Valencia for 2026-27, his latest outing was made under the gaze of his former boss, Unai Emery.

What will Unai Emery have seen from Harvey Elliott's Valencia display?

Emery was a very busy man over the weekend, overseeing Aston Villa's first win of the Premier League season on Saturday against Tottenham.

Villa have now won three of their last four in all competitions, and thus head into the break with some much-needed form and confidence.

Emery didn't stick around in the West Midlands to digest that Spurs victory, however, and instead paid a visit to one of his former employers, Valencia.

Captured via the Premier Sports cameras, Emery was seen watching Valencia lose 3-2 to Real Sociedad on Sunday night.

And with 20 minutes to go, Elliott was introduced from the Valencia bench, and Emery's former Villa Park outcast sent him a clear message.

Per FotMob, he completed all 14 of his pass attempts successfully, created two chances and registered one shot on target.

Elliott also played three passes into the final third, attempted one dribble and was accurate with his lone long ball attempt.

It was a very strong cameo from him, and one that must have Emery feeling like he's got the wrong winger in his current Villains stable.

Villa may have been better off buying Elliott over Alejandro Garnacho

Signed on a very similar deal to Elliott this summer, Alejandro Garnacho will become a permanent Villa player if certain criteria are met this season.

The 22-year-old, however, looks a fair way off from having any realistic chance of meeting those requirements.

He's culminated just 31 minutes of Premier League action for Villa this term, and is yet to put a single shot on goal for his new side.

It was incredibly telling that the Argentinian wasn't even afforded the chance to play a single minute in the Carabao Cup against Coventry.

Now with Emi Buendia, George Hemmings, John McGinn and Ibrahim Mbaye for company, that's some serious competition to wade through.

So, seeing Elliott play so well in his 20 minutes for Valencia on Sunday can't sit easy with Emery, as those 'what if?' thoughts surely start to go round his head.