Premier League legend Alan Smith has given Liverpool loanee Harvey Elliott a stern piece of advice after a troubled start to life at Villa Park.
Aston Villa signed the England Under-21 international on transfer deadline day, bringing him in on an initial loan agreement with a widely reported obligation to buy at a fee in the region of £30 million.
It’s understood that if Elliott reaches a certain number of appearances, Villa will be required to sign him permanently. Though that seems like a positive for a player of Elliott’s quality and potential, Villa manager Unai Emery has been reluctant to use him so far this season.
Elliott’s Villa future has been cast into doubt in the eyes of some observers but Emery’s public comments about the 22-year-old have leavened implied criticism with stated praise.
Nevertheless, the media are asking more and more questions about the situation and opinions abound.
Former Arsenal striker Smith has added his voice to the conversation, urging patience on the part of a talented young footballer but pondering the not insignificant question of where Elliott might actually fit in Villa’s line-up.
“I’m a little surprised he hasn’t started,” Smith told BestBettingSites.co.uk.
“I think he’s just started the League Cup game, and he started another one but he came off at half time. But you wonder what his position is and where he could fit into that team.
“He’s not going to displace Morgan Rogers or John McGinn. Evann Guessand the winger has not done well at all. But Elliott’s not that type of player. He’s not really a wide man with pace.
“So, it’s probably not gone as well as he would have hoped at the moment. And now, of course, Villa are back on the road, back winning games. So, he might have to sit on that bench for a bit longer.”
Elliott has started just one Premier League match and has played barely more than 90 minutes in three league appearances.
He’s been an unused substitute in four matches in the Premier League and Europa League – playing just four minutes in the latter – but started and scored in Villa’s Carabao Cup third round tie against Brentford.
The Liverpool loanee was left out of the matchday squad entirely for the first time ahead of Villa’s Premier League win over Manchester City on Sunday.
Smith joined Leicester City from Alvechurch in 1982 and went on to play more than 250 First Division and Premier League matches for Arsenal, winning the league title with the Gunners in 1989 and 1991.
Now 62, Smith scored twice in 13 senior appearances for England under Bobby Robson and former Villa manager Graham Taylor in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
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