Alejandro Garnacho's loan spell at Aston Villa is showing signs of collapse before it has barely begun, with reports indicating that manager Unai Emery has no plans to use the Argentine winger and an exit route has already been opened.

The 22-year-old arrived at Villa Park on loan from Chelsea this summer, with a £43 million purchase clause attached to the deal. Yet Garnacho has managed only around 30 minutes of action in claret and blue — a concerning indication of where he stands in Emery's thinking.

A familiar pattern at Villa Park

The situation draws immediate comparisons to last summer's Harvey Elliott saga. The Liverpool midfielder joined the Villains on a loan deal that included an option to buy for £35 million, only to make four Premier League appearances before being frozen out of Emery's plans entirely — a decision that divided opinion among supporters given the player's evident ability.

Elliott's situation did carry one significant complication: because he had already appeared for Liverpool before moving to Villa, he was ineligible to join a third club in the January transfer window. Garnacho does not face the same restriction. He has not made a single appearance for Chelsea this season, meaning a January departure remains a genuine possibility.

Spanish clubs circle as Emery turns to Hemmings

Emery has instead preferred young left-sided option George Hemmings — a choice that has left Garnacho sidelined and, according to The Mail, already weighing his options. Spanish clubs are reported to have made early enquiries about the Madrid-born forward, whose Transfermarkt valuation stands at €28 million.

Garnacho's path to Villa was itself an indirect one. The Argentine broke through at Manchester United as a teenager before moving to Chelsea last summer in what was considered a cut-price transfer. He failed to nail down a starting place under either Enzo Maresca or his successor Liam Rosenior at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea then offloaded both Garnacho and Nicolas Jackson to Aston Villa to ease new head coach Xabi Alonso's squad management ahead of this season.

Villa return to Premier League action at home to Brentford after the international break, though whether Garnacho features at all — let alone in any meaningful capacity — remains very much in doubt.