Emery admits it is 'difficult' to use Liverpool loanee Elliott amid recall rumours

Tom Weber

• 22 Nov 2025 07:01 CST
• 4 min read

News

Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has admitted that 'it is difficult' to give Liverpool loanee Harvey Elliott minutes at present.

The 22-year-old is in the midst of a disastrous loan spell at Villa Park, having left Liverpool in the summer in search of regular game time. A beloved figure at Anfield, Elliott made the difficult decision to leave for the good of his career.

However, so far, his career has stagnated rather than progressed at Aston Villa. Elliott has only made five appearances under Emery since joining, playing a grand total of 167 minutes across all competitions.

It has been suggested that Aston Villa, who need to be mindful of Premier League and UEFA financial regulations, have been purposely refusing to use Elliott to avoid triggering a €40 million purchase obligation, which comes into effect when he makes 10 appearances.

However, this theory has been widely dismissed, and his lack of minutes is thought to be more down to a stylistic clash, given that Emery wants control in possession while Elliott is a risk-taker.

Emery makes Elliott admission

Whatever the case, one thing is clear: the England U21 star is unhappy with his playing time, having not received a minute of action since early October. Transfer insider Fabrizio Romano confirmed as much, but so far, there is little to suggest that Liverpool will try to recall him in January.

If they were to do so, they would have to keep him until the summer. Players are only allowed to feature for two clubs per season, and Elliott did play a couple of times for the Reds before departing.

Speaking ahead of Aston Villa's clash with Leeds United on Sunday, Emery admitted that 'it is difficult' to give Elliott regular minutes, citing not just his 'adaptation' but a combination of 'everything' as the reason why he is below the revitalised Emiliano Buendia in the pecking order.

"Some players need more time," Emery said. "We can speak about Buendia struggling last year. Elliott is working very well. His commitment is fantastic. I'm happy with his work, but it's difficult as other players are performing well.

"It is everything," Emery said when asked specifically if Buendia's form is to blame for Elliott's lack of minutes, "because the adaptation is something that some players need more than others.

"But the team is going forward and being very demanding to achieve individual and collective performance, also the consistency we need." He then lavished praise on Buendia for bouncing back from a long-term knee injury.

"Everything that happened around him, he deserved it because he worked hard to recover his best form as a player, like he had before he was here. When we decided to keep him here, and he decided to stay here as well, I was confident he could get the numbers he is achieving."

The FootballTransfers app

Check out FootballTransfers' new app for all of football's big storylines, transfer rumours and exclusive news in one convenient place directly on your mobile device.

The FootballTransfers app is available in the Apple App Store. Download here:

•App Store