Aston Villa boss Unai Emery says there is no change in Harvey Elliott’s circumstances despite playing for the first time since October.Â
Elliott played the full 90 minutes in Villa’s 3-2 Europa League victory over Red Bull Salzburg on Thursday as they progressed into the Round of 16.
It means they will get one of four opponents in the next round.
His selection raised a few eyebrows, particularly after he was told he had no long-term future at the club following his disastrous loan move from Liverpool.
Unai Emery On Harvey Elliott Future
Villa appear light on options in attacking positions after Donyell Malen moved to Roma, while Crystal Palace are set to sign Evan Guessand.
Earlier this week, Villa confirmed the signing of Tammy Abraham to provide competition for Oli Watkins in attack.
When quizzed on Thursday evening, whether Elliott’s performance could have any bearing on his Villa future, Emery replied: “It is not changing.
“Not changing, I told you yesterday, it is not changing his situation. Today, he played and was very fantastic at helping us, but it’s not changing our idea about him.”
Elliott took to social media after the game and wrote: “How I’ve missed that! Thank you for your incredible support tonight… great win to top it off!”
Elliott’s loan has been nothing short of a farce, and it’s something both clubs would like to resolve before the window shuts on Monday.
When Villa signed Elliott, it included an obligation to make his move a permanent one for £35million if he made 10 appearances.
Last night was his sixth appearance in all competitions for the Midlands side.
Elliott was never a target for Emery and was instead signed by the former Villa Director of Football, Monchi, who departed in September.
Villa are already under tight scrutiny with PSR, and therefore, Emery has been reluctant to play the 22-year-old so they don’t have to sign him permanently.
What Next For Elliott?
The 22-year-old is losing a precious year of his career due to a combination of managers not wanting him and FIFA regulations.
Due to FIFA rules, a player can’t feature for more than two European sides during a season, having featured for Liverpool in the second game of the season.
Reds boss Arne Slot isn’t keen to bring him back, which means it’s either a move to Saudi Arabia, the MLS, or he remains stagnant with Villa until the summer.
Former Villa boss Dean Smith said he’d bring him to Charlotte FC, revealing: “I put the feelers out when I was over there.
“I was thinking about it and thought there is an opportunity there. If he’s not going to play for Villa and he can’t play anywhere else, then it would be an option for him to come and play some games before the World Cup break.”
However, that deal looks unlikely to materialise.
