Unai Emery and Aston Villa stuck in loan agreement as they face 'embarrassing' repeat

· Mirror

Aston Villa bought in Alejandro Garnacho on loan in the summer but the Argentine is yet to start under Unai Emery, with the club having no clause to cancel his loan early

Unai Emery is already facing another Harvey Elliott-style situation with Alejandro Garnacho being overlooked at Aston Villa - but without any exit clause in his loan agreement.

The Argentine, who signed for Chelsea last summer but struggled to consistently make an impact, was allowed to leave for the season and headed to Villa Park. However, the former Manchester United man has found himself on the bench - without minutes forthcoming.

Garnacho has played three times for Villa this season, but has not come off the substitutes’ bench in any of their last three games against Nottingham Forest, Tottenham and Coventry City in the Carabao Cup - where Emery fielded a heavily rotated team.

It has already led to suggestions that Emery is not convinced by Garnacho and may not see him as a major part of his plans moving forward. The Telegraph reports that Chelsea do not have a January recall clause and Villa are not though to have an early exit clause - meaning the player is likely stuck there for the season.

The only change to that would involve Chelsea and Villa agreeing to terminate Garnacho’s loan in January, but one club can't make that call on their own. Teenage stars George Hemmings and Ibrahim Mbaye, a summer signing from PSG, have both been used ahead of Garnacho.

It will call into question Emery's eye when it comes to recruitment. Despite his success, a number of his top players are those he inherited with a host of his signings not paying off. In their Europa League final win, the starting XI boasted more players signed by predecessor Dean Smith, than Emery himself.

Last season's move for Elliott was a glaring example of a switch that failed to work out for either club, nor the player. Elliott, off the back of being named the best player at the U21 Euros, moved from Anfield to Villa Park.

The agreement included an obligation to buy for for £35million if Elliott played 10 league games, but he would only play four times. That saw the playmaker handed just 109 minutes of Premier League action.

Emery would concede that the failed loan was "embarrassing for everyone involved".

The Spaniard said back in May, before the loan was due to end: "My apologies for Harvey Elliott are, every day, in my mind. We have our responsibility and Liverpool have their responsibility. How the season has gone has been difficult."

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