Harvey Elliott ‘Makes MLS Decision’ After Brutal Aston Villa Verdict

The Englishman has logged just 167 minutes at Aston Villa in four months.

Harvey Elliott has made just five appearances for Aston Villa. | Shaun Brooks/CameraSport/Getty Images

Although Aston Villa manager Unai Emery revealed the club “decided” not to sign Liverpool loanee Harvey Elliott, the midfielder still reportedly has “no interest” in pursing a move to Major League Soccer to get back on the pitch.

Elliott bid farewell to Merseyside on deadline day in September to join Unai Emery’s side, eager to further his own development after years on the fringe at his boyhood club. The loan deal, worth around £35 million ($47.1 million), includes the obligation to make the transfer permanent next summer if the midfielder makes 10 appearances for Aston Villa.

Yet Elliott has made just five appearances for the Villains, and none since October. The club is seemingly uninterested in triggering the purchase option for the 22-year-old, and Liverpool have no option to recall their player.

Even worse, the Englishman, who has already featured for both the Reds and Aston Villa this season, cannot play for a third club which operates in a summer-to-spring schedule, per FIFA guidelines. With so few options, Charlotte have emerged as a potential escape route for Elliott.

The Athletic report the MLS club is interested in snagging the former Red’s signature in a deal similar to the one that brought Wilfried Zaha to North Carolina in 2025; the winger had already played for Galatasaray and Lyon before joining the Crown, who were eliminated in Round One of the 2025 MLS Cup playoffs.

Elliott, though, has “no interest” in joining Charlotte or MLS, per The Times. As it stands, the near future remains uncertain for the 22-year-old.

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Emery Gives Verdict on Elliott’s Future at Aston Villa

Unai Emery had nothing but positive things to say about Harvey Elliott. | Aston Villa/Getty Images

Emery weighed in on Elliott’s lack of minutes since making the move to Aston Villa, shining some light on the precarious predicament the manager, the player and club find themselves in.

“I must take a decision but not damage the person. Because he’s a very good person and player and he deserves the best. After he leaves, we can maybe use the position he is in to work for something,” Emery said.

“The problem we have with Harvey is this year he is on loan and in case he is playing matches, we must buy him. We decided two months ago we are not convinced to sign him, spending the money we need.

“This is the issue. But he is training every day, very good with us to help us in training and of course it is not good for him or good for us, but it is football and sometimes we must make decisions that are not good for us.”

Elliott has logged just 167 minutes at Aston Villa in four months. A move to MLS would have given the promising talent his best opportunity to play regular minutes until June, but perhaps Aston Villa and Liverpool will come to a new agreement, one that benefits all parties involved.

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