Aston Villa: Is Alejandro Garnacho already at a crossroads?
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Premier League
Is Garnacho already at a crossroads at Villa?
Image source: Getty Images
Image caption: Alejandro Garnacho cost Chelsea £40m from Manchester United last year
By Nick Mashiter, Football reporter
Published 18 minutes ago
Just like last season, questions are being asked about Alejandro Garnacho. Two months after joining from Chelsea on an initial loan, the winger has yet to convince Aston Villa boss Unai Emery of his worth.
The Argentina forward has played just 31 minutes for Villa, spread across three substitute appearances. His most recent outing was a 15-minute display against Hull. Garnacho has been an unused substitute for Villa's past four matches, watching from the bench again as they won 3-2 at Tottenham on Saturday.
Last term, one goal and four assists in 24 Premier League games for Chelsea fell below what the Blues expected from their £40m recruit from Manchester United. So he was allowed to move on.
This campaign is only a month old, but 22-year-old Garnacho could be at a crossroads at Villa Park already.
Unai Emery prefers to ease new players into his teams. Youri Tielemans did not start a Premier League game until November 2023 after joining in the summer, but became an integral part of Emery's machine. Only Joao Gomes, out of 10 new summer signings, started Villa's opening Premier League game. Just two - Zion Suzuki and Nicolas Jackson - started the next.
Garnacho's situation feels extreme though, having been left on the bench for the Carabao Cup win at Coventry when Emery made seven changes.
Academy product George Hemmings, who joined Villa from Forest as a teenager, has started the season well to earn Emery's full trust and start ahead of Garnacho. Ibrahim Mbaye, a £47m arrival from Paris St-Germain, made his first Villa start in the 3-1 victory at Coventry and is also preferred to Garnacho for now.
A facial injury in early August hampered Garnacho's pre-season and meant he missed the Super Cup defeat by Paris St-Germain, adding to the complications.
Emery needs his players to understand their roles and his methods before having full faith in them. He expects Garnacho to catch up:
"Continue working. Work, work, train, work," Emery said when asked about Garnacho's absence from the pitch. "When he can have minutes to play, try to play well. He is progressing, but we have players in front of him now."
Garnacho, who first made his name as a livewire teenager, has shown in the past he can torment defences at Premier League level. He spoke about needing time to adapt to "a different club and a different place".