AdminUnai Emery has explained why Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Brian Madjo have been left out of Aston Villa’s Champions League squad, despite both players arriving with plenty of expectations.
Villa completed a deal worth around £25m for Harwood-Bellis on transfer deadline day, with the England international viewed as a long-term replacement for Ezri Konsa. Madjo, meanwhile, has quickly become one of the club’s most exciting young prospects after the 17-year-old scored against Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup final.
Despite their profiles, Emery opted against including either player in his squad for the Champions League league phase.
Speaking ahead of Saturday’s Premier League meeting with Hull City, Emery explained the thinking behind his decision.
Taylor arrived as the last one (signing), and we can get the balance with Lamare Bogarde, and we can even play [Boubacar] Kamara. We tried to analyse it deeply.
“Taylor will be here for a long time, and hopefully, we will have the opportunity to play in Europe with us, in January maybe, and the next few years.
“Madjo is 17 years old and is so, so young. He will have, for sure, more opportunities to play with us this year and the next years in Europe.”
The decision could still frustrate supporters, particularly with Tyrone Mings selected ahead of Harwood-Bellis, while Madjo’s omission will also raise eyebrows given his enormous potential.
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