Unai Emery explained why Alejandro Garnacho has been short on minutes at Aston Villa.
The Argentine was put in the ‘bomb squad’ under Ruben Amorim in the summer of 2025, and he left Manchester United for a transfer a fee of £40 million play for Chelsea. However, he struggled to nail down a starting spot in the attack for the Blues, scoring just once in 24 Premier League appearances.
Villa gambled on a loan deal with an obligation to buy for the 22-year-old if undisclosed conditions were met. These circumstances seem similar to the ill-fated loan for Harvey Elliot, who has now started plying his trade at Valencia, and the signs are not looking good for the attacker right now.
‘Garnacho is a bit behind’
Academy graduate George Hemmings impressed the Basque boss in the early stages of the season since he earned a start for the side along with Brian Madjo in the 2-1 defeat in the Super Cup.
Alysson also got his first Premier League goal against Nottingham Forest last weekend, and Ibrahim Mbaye moved from Paris Saint-Germain to add another promising threat in the wide positions.
It is clear Garnacho will have to fight for his opportunities, and Emery challenged him to do so.
"Continue working. Work, work, train, work. When [Garnacho] can have minutes to play, try to play well. He is progressing, but we have players in front of him now.
"George Hemmings is playing fantastic. Alysson is also understanding things well and is giving us things I want. Ibrahim Mbaye also responded well.
"We want a competitive team and players to compete in the style we have. Garnacho is a bit behind because of some circumstances we had in pre-season. It is time to be patient for the time he needs."
