Unai Emery says Alejandro Garnacho is “progressing”, but Aston Villa’s manager also says there are players ahead of him right now. The winger has managed just 30 Premier League minutes across two appearances this season, and a pre-season facial injury stalled his momentum before he could really get going. He also missed the UEFA Super Cup defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in August.

Emery's patience message

Emery’s line is consistent with what he has said about Garnacho’s training work. “Every training session we are doing, he is showing he can play matches,” the Villa manager said. He added that Garnacho’s brief minutes so far have not been enough, and that he is seeing him improve “progressively”.

That fits the wider message coming from Villa’s camp. John McGinn said it is “a demanding style and very unique system”, and that Villa do not play a normal 4-4-2 or 4-2-3-1. Garnacho has arrived in a side that asks for detail and repetition, not a quick fling of talent into the XI.

The minutes problem at Villa

The raw involvement is still tiny. Garnacho has played 30 Premier League minutes in two appearances, and his latest league run has also been limited to 30 minutes. Emery’s point is simple enough: the player is being asked to earn more, not handed it because of his reputation.

That is also why the comparison with Harvey Elliott lingers. Football365 reported Emery saying, “The problem we have with Harvey is that he is on loan, and in case he plays matches we must buy him.” Villa hold a conditional obligation to buy Elliott from Chelsea for £42.5m, while mirror.co.uk put the figure at £43m. Elliott’s loan spell last season finished with 277 minutes, which is exactly the kind of warning sign that makes every early loan spell feel more cautious than fans would like.

Emery has not shut the door on Garnacho. He has just made it clear that the route into the side runs through training, consistency and patience, not a fast-track promise. Villa face Tottenham in the Premier League this weekend, and Garnacho is still waiting for a first start.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 4 outlets. How we work →