Alejandro Garnacho: Unai Emery explains brutal snub during Aston Villa 2-1 Man City

· Football365

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has explained why he decided not to use Chelsea-owned Alejandro Garnacho against Manchester City at Villa Park.

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has explained why he decided not to use Chelsea-owned winger Alejandro Garnacho against Manchester City at Villa Park.

Garnacho has been a peripheral figure at Villa since his loan move from Chelsea in the summer of 2026.

Villa have the obligation to make Garnacho’s loan deal permanent next summer for £43million under certain conditions.

The Argentina international winger has made only five appearances for the Villans so far this season.

Garnacho came on as a substitute in the second half of Villa’s 3-1 win against Viking at Villa Park in the Champions League on Wednesday evening.

However, Villa manager Emery did not include the 22-year-old in his squad for the Premier League game against Manchester City at home on Saturday afternoon.

Unai Emery explains Alejandro Garnacho snub vs Man City

Villa won the match 2-1, with Emery explaining his brutal call on Garnacho.

BirminghamLive quotes Emery as saying about Garnacho: “He’s progressing.

> “He played fantastic 20 minutes on Wednesday in Champions League, but today as well we have players as well now ready, available.

> “And I am happy how he is progressing, and of course will have as well minutes, time to continue in the progression in how he showed with us on Wednesday.”

Emery praises Aston Villa duo Nicolas Jackson and Zion Suzuki

Both goals for Villa came from Nicolas Jackson, who joined the Villans from Chelsea in the summer transfer window.

Emery said when asked about the difference between Jackson at Villa and Villarreal, where the duo worked together: “Mature, experience, confidence, and he is very demanding himself.

> “Very demanding himself to improve things. Today, he scored two goals, but the last matches he’s scoring goals.

> “But at the beginning of the season, to adapt to us was more difficult, and he was shooting a lot of balls over the crossbar.

> “Now, he’s getting his shots better, as well he’s working fantastic tactically, fantastic. He is understanding as well where we need him.

> “Sometimes he can drop, because he’s good at getting duels, but we need him more running in behind.

> “He has his quality and his power. His speed is fantastic, and as well his capacity to get duels man-to-man, or to attack players to pass for another.

> “So today, he scored two goals, but the most important how he did his work, his task.”

Emery was also full of praise for Villa goalkeeper Zion Suzuki, who cost the club £30million in transfer fees when they signed him from Parma in the summer of 2026.

The former Arsenal boss said: “He’s ambitious. I think it’s very important, his mentality. He’s very ambitious himself.

> “He chose to be here with us when we spoke with him about our project, and how he is every day, every day working, every day showing his desires to work strong to get as best as possible playing official matches is really fantastic. And then, his qualities.

> “Of course, we need one keeper first to save us in the goal, but as well we need one keeper to try to help us in our build-up.

> “And in build-up, he’s a really fantastic player because he can play short, he can understand where is the superiority to break the opponent’s press.

> “He has as well qualities to do long ball, getting our players in attack. So, we are very, very impressed how he adapted so quick with us.”

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