Liverpool loan star is winning fans at Aston Villa – why isn’t he playing?

While Aston Villa laboured to unpick the Go Ahead Eagles defence in search of an equaliser in the Europa League, one player in particular remained conspicuously unused.

Villa signed attacking midfielder Harvey Elliott on loan from Liverpool on transfer deadline day. The deal has within it a reported obligation to buy clause that seemed at the time to be so easily met by a number of appearances as to be tantamount to a permanent signing.

Elliott squeezed in Villa’s first goal of the season but has barely played since. Manager Unai Emery has selected Evann Guessand, John McGinn and Donyell Malen in the position where Elliott was expected to play and the 22-year-old has been looking in from the outside.

Even with Villa playing badly and displaying weaknesses that seem a good match for his strengths, Elliott is having to be incredibly patient at his new club. Emery has said as much, citing the specific nature of his tactical structure as something the player has to learn.

Emery’s comments about Elliott have been candid to the point of harsh. Other signings have taken a long time to crack the Villa first team but this flawed team has a creative shortfall and Elliott hasn’t had much of a chance to demonstrate the attributes that made him an attractive buy in the first place.

Jacob Tanswell of The Athletic reports that Villa’s backroom staff have been impressed by Elliott despite a lack of meaningful playing time.

“He can take criticism and channel it appropriately,” writes Tanswell.

“Elliott has impressed Villa personnel with his attitude and application, which chimes with Emery’s coaching staff’s uber-meticulous professional standards.

“The clash occurs more so on the stylistic side and acclimatising to Villa’s methods. He is not the first signing to initially struggle with this, particularly as a midfielder.”

Why isn’t Harvey Elliott playing?

Tanswell acknowledges that Elliott and Villa have work to do to come together at a tactical level, noting that players in Elliott’s position are crucial in Villa’s set-up because they like to attack through the middle.

In a team built to play through his position, Elliott will be expected to be steeped in the meticulous detail behind Emery’s structured attacking approach.

Yet it’s a frustrating scenario for many Villa supporters.

Elliott was rightly identified as a talented, energetic and incisive attacking addition to the squad and offers not only the promise of a direct antidote to Villa’s problems against solid defensive teams but also an element of rawness, of unpredictability.

These can be positive and effective characteristics but methodical managers don’t always want to let their wildcard players do their own thing, especially when they’re still young.

Elliott has played 167 minutes in all competitions for Villa so far. With the exception of the Carabao Cup tie at Brentford, he’s yet to play more than 45 minutes in a game.

The post Liverpool loan star is winning fans at Aston Villa – why isn’t he playing? appeared first on AVillaFan.com – Aston Villa Fan Site.