Aston Villa have excluded new signing Taylor Harwood-Bellis and 17-year-old striker Brian Madjo from their Champions League squad for the league stage, with manager Unai Emery acknowledging it was a difficult call to make.

Harwood-Bellis arrived at Villa Park on transfer deadline day in a deal worth an initial £25 million from Southampton. Madjo, meanwhile, had caught the eye when he netted Villa's equaliser in their 2-1 UEFA Super Cup defeat to Paris St-Germain in August — the teenager's only appearance of the campaign so far.

Emery confirmed that injury has kept Madjo out of contention, alongside Modou Keba Cisse, who is also sidelined. The Villa manager made the announcement ahead of his side's Premier League fixture at Hull on Saturday.