Benched Garnacho already at Villa crossroads as Emery tells winger to 'work, work, train, work'
Alejandro Garnacho's Aston Villa career has arrived at an uncomfortable early junction. Two months after completing an initial loan move from Chelsea, the Argentina winger has yet to convince head coach Unai Emery of his worth — and with competition for places intensifying at Villa Park, the 22-year-old could already be at a crossroads.
The signs are stark. Garnacho has played just 31 minutes for Villa, spread across three substitute appearances, with a 15-minute outing against Hull the most time he has spent on the pitch in any game. He has been an unused substitute for Villa's past four matches and watched from the bench once again on Saturday as his club recovered to win 3-2 at Tottenham — their first Premier League victory of the season.
The numbers that preceded his arrival make uneasy reading, too. Garnacho managed one goal and four assists in 24 Premier League games for Chelsea last term, well below what the Blues expected from their £40m recruit from Manchester United, and they were happy to let him move on.
Emery: "Work, work, train, work"
Emery has a well-established habit of easing new players into his teams. Youri Tielemans did not start a Premier League game until November 2023 after joining the previous summer, before becoming an integral part of Emery's machine. Of Villa's 10 new summer signings, only Joao Gomes started the club's opening Premier League game, and just two — Zion Suzuki and Nicolas Jackson — started the next.
Garnacho's situation feels extreme even so. He was left on the bench for the Carabao Cup win at Coventry despite Emery making seven changes for that tie. Academy product George Hemmings, who joined Villa from Forest as a teenager, has started the season well to earn Emery's full trust and is starting ahead of the winger, while 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, suffered on Villa's pre-season tour in Thailand against BG Pathum, hampered Garnacho's pre-season preparations 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 placing full faith in them, and 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."
"George 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 is a little bit behind because of some circumstances we had in pre-season. It is time to be patient for the time he needs."
How Garnacho ended up at Villa Park
Villa wanted more pace in their side this summer and Crysencio Summerville was considered before he moved to Saudi Arabia's Al-Hilal. When Chelsea paid £117m to sign Morgan Rogers from Villa, it left a gap for Emery to fill — and Garnacho was available, with a positive relationship between the clubs allowing for easy discussions. Striker Nicolas Jackson also joined from Chelsea for a Villa club record £65m, and there have now been eight deals between the two clubs in the past four years.
Garnacho did not train with Xabi Alonso's Chelsea squad before leaving for Villa Park in July. Roma were interested in the winger, but their loan offer did not suit Chelsea. Instead, Villa's arrangement gives the Blues a chance to make their money back after last year's outlay.
The shadow of Harvey Elliott's loan
There is an obligation to buy tied into Garnacho's loan that is believed to relate to appearances, and it is expected to be achievable — but that does not guarantee anything. Harvey Elliott, for instance, would have triggered a move worth £35m if he had made just 10 Premier League appearances last season. As it turned out, the Liverpool loanee — now at Valencia — was used just four times by Villa in the top flight.
Emery did not feel the 23-year-old was good enough and made up his mind not to sign Elliott permanently just a couple of months into the season. It raised questions within the game about whether a loan at Villa should be viewed with caution, and whether other players' careers could be derailed in the way Elliott's was. It was accepted that Elliott's options this summer were not as extensive following his season at Villa Park.
Time will tell whether Garnacho faces the same struggles, having already seen his career stall over the past two years.
A career standing still
Garnacho first made his name as a livewire teenager, making his Manchester United debut aged 17 and winning the Premier League's goal of the season award in 2023-24 for his overhead kick against Everton while playing for United. He was part of Argentina's Copa America-winning squad in 2024, but has not added to his eight international caps since November of that year, and his output for Chelsea was disappointing. The Madrid-born attacker also spoke of needing time to adapt to "a different club and a different place" during his spell at Chelsea, and a further season of struggle would now be a significant setback.
Emery — a long-term Garnacho admirer — is clearly yet to be convinced by what he sees in training, and is waiting to see the winger fulfil his full potential at Villa. But first Garnacho must gain his coach's trust. Then he must take his chance.