Harvey Elliott received a jokey dig off one of his Aston Villa teammates after he made his start since September in the Europa League.
Elliott joined Aston Villa on loan over the summer from Liverpool, where the 22-year-old came off the back of a title winning campaign under Arne Slot.
The Villains hold an obligation to buy Elliott for £35 million as part of the current loan agreement with the Reds.
However, the clause to sign Elliott permanently will only be triggered if the midfielder makes 10 or more appearances for Emery’s side this season.
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So far, Elliott has made seven appearances across the Premier League, EFL Cup and Europa League, making his first start since Villa's 3-1 win over Fulham on Thursday vs RB Salzburg.
Emery has been very clear the England u21 international is not in his long term plans, but was full of praise for Elliott ahead of his Europa League outing.
“With Harvey (Elliott), it’s not changing. Our idea is that we spoke to him clearly. He’s a fantastic guy," he said pre-match.
“On Sunday, he was on the bench, and if we needed some help from him, he was ready to do it. He is in the squad tomorrow. But the situation is not changing for him."
Tyrone Mings jokes with Harvey Elliott on lack of minutes
Following the game, Elliott posted on Instagram for the first time in 2026, writing: "How I’ve missed that! Thank you for your incredible support tonight… great win to top it off!"
Despite Elliott's clear frustration in his lack of minutes, it didn't stop Tyrone Mings having some playful banter in the comment section.
The Villa defender responded to Elliott, with an Ian Wright meme where the former Arsenal man says 'I thought you were dead', in response to Elliott's gametime this season.
Mings then shared Elliott's post to his story with the caption 'what a man', with Elliott responding 'thank you legend', dismissing any doubts the loane took the dig personally.
Topics: Harvey Elliott, Aston Villa, Liverpool, Tyrone Mings, Premier League, Europa League
Tom Jenkins