Alejandro Garnacho's career hits new low as Unai Emery sends brutal message about time at Aston Villa so far
Aston Villa head coach Unai Emery made a brutal comment about out-of-favour winger Alejandro Garnacho following the side’s 3-1 Carabao Cup third-round win over Coventry.
Tammy Abraham’s brace and Ross Barkley’s strike cancelled out Victor Torp’s goal as Villa progressed to the fourth round of the Carabao Cup.
Emery will no doubt be pleased with his side’s convincing performance and hope the win can kick-start their Premier League campaign, with the Villans currently 19th in the English top flight with one point from four matches.
However, Argentinian winger Garnacho may not have enjoyed sitting on the bench for the full 90 minutes for the third match in a row.
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The former Manchester United and Chelsea winger, who joined Villa on a season-long loan with a conditional £42.5million obligation to buy in July, was snubbed by Emery despite the Spaniard making seven changes to the starting XI for the cup tie with Coventry.
Unai Emery makes honest Alejandro Garnacho claim after selection snub
Finally, in his post-match press conference, Emery admitted the 22-year-old is a “little bit behind” his teammates in fitness, having played just 31 minutes so far this term.
When questioned about what the player needs to do to earn minutes, Emery said: “(He has to) continue working.
“Work, work, train, work. When he can have minutes to play, try and 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’s pre-season was interrupted by a facial injury, which saw him miss the Super Cup final against Paris Saint-Germain.
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On September 11, the day before Villa’s 2-1 home defeat to Nottingham Forest, Emery made clear that he believes Garnacho holds a positive attitude.
“His attitude is very important, he is getting the commitment we need to achieve it,” he said.
“Now he needs time. Time, hard work every day, and he is showing it with his attitude. Then, everything he is progressing.
“Every training session we are doing, he is showing he can play matches. He played a few minutes, but it was not enough, firstly due to the minutes he played and the things he showed.
“Progressively, I am seeing him better. The most important thing is being consistent and demanding through the attitude he has. Then, I believe and I trust that he will achieve his best performance.”
Villa face Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium in the fourth round.
EFL Cup fourth-round draw
Fleetwood v Arsenal
Manchester City or Norwich v Brighton
Everton v Newcastle
Sunderland v Brentford
Liverpool v Chelsea
Bradford v Peterborough
Fulham v Crystal Palace
Bournemouth v Aston Villa
Topics: Alejandro Garnacho, Aston Villa
Luke Davies