Revealed: Harvey Elliott’s ‘biggest concern’ at Aston Villa right now
Harvey Elliott’s summer switch from Liverpool to Aston Villa has certainly not gone to plan so far.
Liverpool officially confirmed Harvey Elliott’s move to Aston Villa on deadline day, with a season-long loan agreed between the two sides and a £35million obligation-to-buy clause inserted into the deal.
He won two Premier League titles with the Reds during his six years at the club, and soon set about making an impact as Elliott scored on his Villa debut last month for the their first goal of the campaign in the Carabao Cup away at Brentford.
The 22-year-old has found minutes hard to come by at Aston Villa since then, however, and last featured for the club off the bench against Feyenoord on 2 October.
Elliott will have had aims of becoming a regular under Unai Emery to try and force his way into Thomas Tuchel’s England squad, yet he has been left out in the cold so far and his main worry about his current predicament has now been revealed.
Elliott fears wasting another season not playing regularly for Villa
Well-connected former Aston Villa and Man United senior scout Mick Brown has told Football Insider that Elliott may have played his last game for Villa already, with five more appearances needed to make his loan move a permanent one.
The Athletic have now provided a new update on his situation in the Second City, revealing that there is “growing frustration” on Elliott’s part because things are only getting worse rather than any better right now.
The fear of wasting another season as a bit-part player is now his “biggest concern” after playing just once in the last six weeks, but he is known to have impressed staff at the club with his attitude and application to training and the predicament he faces.
Even if he wanted to make an exit, FIFA rules prohibit him from featuring for three teams in one season, and the report states that there is no specific break clause in the loan package for January, nor have there been any discussions over ending his time at Villa Park in the new year.
What Unai Emery has said about Elliott’s future at Villa
Elliott did not even make the matchday squad for Villa’s recent Premier League games against Man City or Bournemouth, and their upturn in form means it seems unlikely that he forces his way in anytime soon.
Emery called the 22-year-old out after a 1-1 draw against Sunderland in September, saying: “Some players need adaptation. Harvey, he had one chance to score, but he has to understand our identity better as well. He has to (make) more passes before doing the last pass, the last assist.“
The Villa boss soon saw fit to start dropping him as their form improved, and explained why Elliott wasn’t even in the matchday squad to face City on 26 October.
He said: “He is training well, and he played some matches, but the performances weren’t what we needed. Some players are playing as a No 10, and they are playing well, like Buendia and Rogers. Also Ross Barkley, after he was out.
“In the squad, we needed to take one player out, and I decided for (it to be) him. I am happy with him. He is training good. His commitment is fantastic and he is a good guy. (It is) Only a tactical decision.”
Even if he is happy with the midfielder, a return to the Villa team seems pretty unlikely anytime soon and thus his predicament seems set to continue for the rest of the campaign.