Mirror: Emery does not reuse Elliott; Villa will only force a buyout after 10 appearances

Hupu, October 27th: The English media "Daily Mirror" wrote a column and talked about the situation of young midfielder Elliott, who joined Villa on loan from Liverpool this summer.

Here’s the column

Harvey Elliott, Anthony Gordon, Fabian Ruiz, Juan Mata and Thiago – what do these players have in common? They have all been awarded the best player in the U21 European Cup. But what sets Elliott apart from the other four is that he has so far failed to turn this personal honor into a springboard for his career.

This summer, the new star who was loaned to Aston Villa led England U21 to regain the European Championship, and his performance was amazing. The 22-year-old scored against Spain in the quarter-finals, scored twice to dominate the match against the Netherlands in the semi-finals, and scored again against Germany in the finals. Especially the goal that defeated the Netherlands before the end of the semi-finals showed his extraordinary confidence and superstar potential.

This summer was supposed to be a turning point in Elliott's career, but subsequent developments backfired. Unlike other players who join giant clubs after rising to prominence in youth competitions, Elliott is already at Liverpool. How did the defending champions react when they realized they had Europe's best young talent in their ranks? They chose to rent it out.

This is obviously not a vote of confidence from the club in this talented player. But the move is not surprising - in the entire season before the U21 European Cup, he only got two Premier League starts and served as a long-term substitute under current Liverpool coach Slott. The door of Anfield does not seem to be open to this Fulham youth training treasure. Although he has been patient for several years, opportunities have always been few and far between.

It is worth pondering: Why are the players who have proven their strength in the summer competition regarded as redundant by the Red Army? Historical experience shows that such talents are usually highly sought after: Mata moved from Valencia to Chelsea after shining, Thiago went to Bayern to join Guardiola, Huntelaar joined Ajax due to his performance, and Drenthe landed at Real Madrid.

Elliott was linked with Leipzig for several weeks, but eventually landed at Aston Villa before the transfer window closed. Although Villa has been firmly in the European war zone in recent years, the club's reputation is ultimately difficult to match that of traditional giants. To make matters worse, even a change of environment failed to bring about a turnaround - since joining Emery's team, he has only played 167 of 810 minutes and started only 1 of 5 appearances.

The Spanish coach explained this: "He was in good training condition, but failed to meet the tactical requirements when he played. Buendia, Rogers and other No. 10 players performed better, and Barkley, who recovered from injury, was also in good condition."

Although Villa gradually got better after the slow start of the season, this period of rapid growth for Aliault had a bleak start. What is even more worrying is that his loan contract contains a mandatory buyout clause (10 appearances) - Villa needs to buy him out regardless of whether he can become the main force.

Elliott Anderson, Elliott's teammate who won the championship in the same year, is now enjoying himself well under England coach Tuchel. Not only is he expected to appear in next year's World Cup, but he is also attracting the attention of Newcastle United and other teams. Such a contrast will undoubtedly exacerbate Elliott's predicament. The uncertainty of career development is evident here: Mata, Ruiz and Thiago joined new clubs after winning the championship and all competed in the Champions League. Fabio Vieira, the best player in 2021, has always lived in the shadow of Odegaard after switching to Arsenal. William Carvalho, the winner in 2015, chose to stay at Sporting CP and his development stagnated, and now he has left for the Mexican League.

European clubs have always been keen on chasing new stars, and the U21 European Cup is the best star-making factory. Champions League winners and Ballon d'Or winners (in the 1990s) were born here, as well as short-lived names such as Berg - the Swede who beat Balotelli and Matic to be elected the best in 2009. Now he has returned to his hometown team Gothenburg after wandering in the Bundesliga, Greece and Russia.

For Elliott, who shouted "You need to be selfish and plan your own future" after the game, his first season in the post-European Cup era has just begun.