Elliott's lack of action at Villa has been embarrassing: Emery

TL;DR

Unai Emery criticized Harvey Elliott's limited playing time at Aston Villa, calling it 'embarrassing for everyone.' Elliott has only appeared in four Premier League matches since joining on loan from Liverpool, and he is expected to return to Anfield at the end of the season.

Key points

Unai Emery criticized Harvey Elliott's lack of game-time.
Elliott has made only four Premier League appearances this season.
Villa has an obligation to buy Elliott for £35 million if he plays 10 times.
Elliott is expected to return to Liverpool at the end of the season.
Liverpool will assess Elliott's future during pre-season.

Aston VillaLiverpool

Aston Villa midfielder Harvey Elliott (Darren Staples) (Darren Staples/AFP/AFP) Unai Emery has labelled Harvey Elliott's lack of game-time with Aston Villa this season as "embarrassing for everyone". Elliott has made just four Premier League appearances since joining Villa on a season-long loan from Liverpool last year. His only league start this season came against Fulham in September, but he was taken off at half-time and has not played in the top flight since February. Villa had an obligation to buy Elliott for £35 million ($47 million) if the 23-year-old played 10 times in the league. But Elliott, who starred for England's Under-21s when they won the 2025 European Championship, is certain to return to Anfield at the end of the current campaign. Speaking ahead of Friday's clash with Elliott's parent club Liverpool, Emery said: "It is something embarrassing for everyone involved in it. My apologies for Harvey Elliott are every day in my mind. "But it is the responsibility. We have our responsibility and Liverpool have their responsibility. "As a human and as a person, how the season has gone has been difficult." Liverpool boss Arne Slot confirmed that Elliott will be given the chance to impress in pre-season with the Reds before a decision is made on his future. "It didn't work out as he wanted it, as we wanted it and probably also how Villa wanted it, because you usually sign a player or bring him in on loan to use him," said Slot. "He's contracted to us so he will be with us in the start of the season." smg/kca/jc

Q&A

Why is Harvey Elliott's playing time at Aston Villa considered embarrassing?

Unai Emery described Elliott's lack of game-time as embarrassing due to the expectations surrounding his loan move and the obligation for Villa to buy him if he played enough matches.

What are the conditions of Harvey Elliott's loan agreement with Aston Villa?

Elliott's loan agreement included an obligation for Aston Villa to buy him for £35 million if he made 10 Premier League appearances.

What will happen to Harvey Elliott at the end of the season?

Harvey Elliott is expected to return to Liverpool at the end of the season, where he will have the opportunity to impress during pre-season.