Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has confirmed who has missed out on featuring in the Champions League knockout phase next month, and hopefully beyond.
As per UEFA’s rules, Villa were permitted to add three more players to our squad for the competition having successfully qualified for the round of 16, despite having overseen a number of exits too which balanced our spending, to ultimately keep within the parameters of the Premier League and UEFA’s financial regulations.
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Given we made five signings during the January transfer window, that presented a real headache for Emery and his coaching staff, as there was inevitably going to be disappointment for two of our new recruits.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of our FA Cup tie with Tottenham this weekend, the Villa boss has confirmed that Andres Garcia and Donyell Malen have been left out, thus confirming that Axel Disasi, Marco Asensio and Marcus Rashford have been included.
It will be both disappointing and frustrating for the pair in question to now have to watch on as we continue our European journey this season, as it would have been valuable experience for Garcia to get minutes potentially, while Malen was key for Dortmund in this competition and will feel he could have been a crucial option for Emery.
However, the pair were arguably the most likely to miss out as it makes the most sense, with Disasi a critical inclusion given our current injury concerns in defence with both Tyrone Mings and Pau Torres sidelined as well as Matty Cash, which limits our options and flexibility at the back.
Asensio has a wealth of experience at this level given his success with Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain, while Rashford will surely have made a point of being able to play in the Champions League as a key factor in his decision to join us.
It does mean that our two permanent signings this month will have to sit out while our three loanees will feature, but it’s hoped that these decisions ultimately prove to be the best ones that give us the best possible chance of advancing further in the competition and keeping our hopes of a surprise success alive.
As seen in the video above of Emery’s quotes confirming the decision though, the Villa boss wasn’t happy with being forced to decide between his players, but ultimately that choice has been made, and he’ll hope he’s got it right.