Aston Villa Elliott Loan Stance Unchanged, Says Emery

Unai Emery confirms Aston Villa will not alter their approach to Harvey Elliott, even with injuries mounting and a key Europa League meeting with Salzburg approaching, keeping the Liverpool loanee’s status unchanged despite a recent return to the matchday squad.

Elliott, 22, joins Aston Villa on loan from Liverpool with a clause that activates a permanent transfer if Elliott plays 10 matches, with the obligation to buy reported to be at least 30m, and Emery’s cautious selection so far reflects that agreement as much as football decisions.

The midfielder has featured only five times since arriving, and had not made a matchday squad since November until Elliott returned to the bench for the 2-0 win over Newcastle United at St. James' Park, where

Elliott stayed unused, underlining Emery’s continued reluctance to involve Elliott regularly.

Emery stresses that the current plan remains intact despite the end of the transfer window drawing closer, with Elliott named in the travelling group for the Europa League tie against Salzburg on Thursday, but with no suggestion the appearance threshold will be chased or approached deliberately.

Emery explains the broader context around Aston Villa’s January plans, highlighting how injuries have influenced some moves, but not Elliott’s role, saying: "There are still five days to finish the window, Emery said in his pre-match press conference. Everything we accepted before, only some injuries can change it, like Douglas Luiz is a player joining us because we had injuries in centre midfield. "

Youri Tielemans, John McGinn and Boubacar Kamara are all absent with injuries, forcing Aston Villa to seek midfield cover and leading to Emery confirming Douglas Luiz is close to rejoining on loan, yet the coach insists these setbacks do not alter Elliott’s position within the squad.

Emery outlines that stance directly regarding Harvey Elliott’s situation and attitude, adding: "With Harvey, it's not changing. Our idea is that we spoke to him clearly. He's a fantastic guy. On Sunday, he was on the bench, and if we needed some help from him, he was ready to do it. He is in the squad tomorrow. But the situation is not changing for him that he has now. "

Let's finish strong, Villans The #UEL league phase concludes on Thursdayjoin us at Villa ParkAston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) January 27, 2026

Aston Villa, Harvey Elliott and Europa League momentum

Aston Villa approach the Salzburg meeting already assured of automatic qualification for the Europa League last 16, after a 1-0 victory over Fenerbahce in Istanbul lifted Aston Villa to second in the group, while still leaving the chance to overtake Lyon and finish top of the standings.

Defender Tyrone Mings recently returned from a long injury lay-off and started that win against Fenerbahce, with Mings now part of a squad that has changed position in the Premier League since Mings suffered the setback, transforming Aston Villa’s domestic targets during Mings’ recovery period.

Across European competition, including qualifiers, Aston Villa have built a strong recent home record, winning 14 of their last 16 home matches, with one draw and one defeat, and Aston Villa have claimed six consecutive home victories in Europe ahead of the first ever meeting with Salzburg.

Competition	Home matches	Wins	Draws	Losses
European competitions*	16	14	1	1

*Including European qualifiers for Aston Villa.

Mings reflects on Aston Villa’s journey during that spell out, stating: "It's very good being back, he said. I think when I got injured against Fulham, we were firmly in the bottom half of the table, and I came back into a top-three, top-four battle. So, the team have been amazing, and I think that model of consistency and that demonstration of consistency is something we've been striving for, for years. But you can see now, just how everybody is contributing something in the squadwhether you start, whether you come on, players get injured, you get an opportunity to come in and play. We're going to need everybody between now and the end of the season, so for me to come in and be a part of that is, of course, something that I'm extremely proud of. "

Mings’ comments underline how Aston Villa approach the closing months of the season and the Salzburg fixture, with depth across the squad, Elliott’s status clearly defined by Emery, and injured players gradually returning as Aston Villa aim to maintain consistency in Europe and domestic competition.