Harvey Elliott has made just three appearances in the Premier League for Aston Villa [Getty Images]Nick Mashiter - Football reporterWed, December 3, 2025 at 7:24 AM UTC·5 min readThe brief sighting of Harvey Elliott in Aston Villa's Christmas video was a reminder he is still at the club.
The on-loan Liverpool man appeared on the Villa Park big screens for a few seconds on Sunday - still more time than he has played in the Premier League over the past two months.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementHe was pushing a laundry trolley at the Bodymoor Heath training ground while wearing a festive jumper. His Christmas wish is likely to be for a change in fortune.
His deadline-day switch from Anfield promised so much but it has quickly turned.
The move will become permanent if Elliott plays 10 times for Villa and, having made five appearances, he is in limbo.
His appearance as an 89th-minute substitute for Liverpool against Newcastle in August leaves him with no viable option other than to return to the Reds or remain at Villa - who seemingly do not want him.
Talks are planned to resolve the future of a player who has not featured in the Premier League since September.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementSo how has a move which looked to be so perfect gone so wrong?
Elliott is England's 'man for the moment' amid uncertain Liverpool future
Sancho & Elliott join Villa on loan deals
Euro 2025 star to forgotten man
Harvey Elliott scored in the quarter-final, semi-final and final of Euro 2025 [Getty Images]Just five months ago, Elliott scored five goals was named player of the tournament as England Under-21s won Euro 2025.
By then Villa were already showing their interest, driven by Monchi - who has since been replaced by Roberto Olabe as president of football operations - while Unai Emery made it clear he wanted Elliott.
A move to RB Leipzig was possible while West Ham held an interest but it was Villa who signed him on loan with a £35m obligation to buy on deadline day.
He said at the time: "I loved every minute of it [at Liverpool]; every second, every day. I wouldn't change it.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"But the most important thing for me when I was making the decision was to be playing first-team football."
Fast forward 12 weeks and he has played 96 minutes in the Premier League, being substituted at half-time in his only start against Fulham. A goal on his full debut in August's Carabao Cup defeat by Brentford seems an age away.
His last appearance came as an 86th-minute substitute against Feyenoord in the Europa League on 2 October.
Ultimately, it appears Villa do not want to spend the money. Profit and sustainability concerns come into consideration while there have been suggestions they feel Elliott has not brought the quality they expected.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementEmery has given some guarded explanations regarding the omission of Elliott, who has not featured in their past five Premier League squads, having been ineligible to face Liverpool last month.
While Emery, a demanding manager, takes time to integrate players into his squad, it is felt the situation is past that now.
"We now have a lot of matches. We must focus on each match with the players we have now," Emery said last week, before again leaving Elliott out of the squad for Sunday's win over Wolves.
"We are not thinking about the transfer window in January. He is one of our players and hopefully he can help us.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"Then, we are going to decide. Firstly, there are other players performing very well. This is the first argument of why he is not playing."
Morgan Rogers is one of those. His form has made him one of Thomas Tuchel's England stars.
The resurgence of Emi Buendia has also surprised those at Villa. The attacking midfielder had been expected to leave, but he has now become a key man for Emery.
Elliott, who has made 201 career appearances, primarily views himself as a number 10, only to find Rogers and Buendia barring his way into the team.
But the 22-year-old has always remained focused. He is humble and polite, shaking hands with journalists to introduce himself properly when he arrived at Villa.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementHe remains involved, especially with Emery often playing 11-versus-11 matches in training. His team-mates feel he has trained well and kept a positive mindset.
Rogers 'only getting better' - will he win England battle?
So what now?
A World Cup year is approaching, but Elliott's hopes are slipping away.
Elliot Anderson and Alex Scott - who both impressed with Elliott at Euro 2025 in Slovakia - have earned senior call-ups under Tuchel, with the former making his debut.
Elliott shone in Slovakia, but now is in loan limbo. His future is likely to become clearer in the next two weeks.
A return to Anfield remains unlikely - there is no recall clause - with Liverpool viewing him as a Villa player. The deal could always be cancelled though, if Villa were willing to pay the requisite amount on top of the loan fee.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementFinances will come into consideration - as Liverpool have budgeted to sell Elliott and offload his wages. Would they be happy for him to return, having essentially sold in him in the summer?
If he stays, though, he risks wasting a whole season in which he could have forced his way into Tuchel's World Cup plans.
He could move to a league that runs on a different calendar, such as Major League Soccer, but that is not being considered.
But it would make little sense for Villa, Liverpool or Elliott to carry on as they are and waste a year of his career.
He joined to further himself, even after winning the Premier League last season, and no-one can doubt his ambition.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementHe moved to Aston Villa with the belief it would move him to the next level but he has only found himself held back.
