Revealed: Why Harvey Elliott's Aston Villa 'nightmare' may not end anytime soon as Liverpool consider January transfer window plan

Boyhood Liverpool fan Elliott made the emotional decision to leave the Premier League champions over the summer, knowing that his best opportunity of elevating his career to new heights lay elsewhere.

But as the weeks and months go by, it becomes increasingly clear that that place is not likely to be Villa Park, either. Elliott has featured just five times for Unai Emery’s side, and the Spaniard has made clear his belief that other players, such as Morgan Rogers and Emiliano Buendia, are keeping him out of the side due to their top form, and are viewed as more suited to his tactical plan for the Villans. As the club continue their scintillating run of form and begin what could become an unlikely title challenge, Elliott’s chances of forcing his way back into the set-up become increasingly smaller.

Elliott has not featured in any competition since the start of October and has not been named in any of the last nine Premier League matchday squads, with his future up in the air ahead of the winter transfer window. But complications may yet arise if Elliott looks to escape his Villa ‘nightmare’ early.

Reported by The Athletic, Elliott may see the Villa Park exit door blocked this January for a couple of reasons.

First of all, as Elliott made two very brief appearances for Liverpool, totalling less than 10 minutes in August, he is not permitted to represent a third club within the same season. UEFA rules dictate that a player can only represent two sides in competitive matches in one campaign, and so a second loan move for the former Fulham academy star in January is not under consideration.

This, therefore, leaves the only two options available to Elliott as either remain at Villa for the season or return to Anfield. A further complication, however, lies in the terms of the contract which saw Elliott sign for the Villans on 1 September.

The report adds there is no simple solution to ending Elliott's 'nightmare' move. There was no break clause included in the contract, meaning that Liverpool cannot simply decide to recall him mid-season with little fuss. Though this may appear short-sighted in hindsight, it reflects the fact that his exit from Liverpool was firmly viewed as a permanent one despite the initial loan deal. Villa will even need to pay to end the loan early.

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Emery has previously expressed a desire to give Elliott time to settle in at Villa Park, but it may appear that this attitude has shifted over time as the young midfielder has seen his role at the club disappear almost entirely.

The Villa manager said after Elliott was first dropped from the matchday squad against Manchester City back in October: "In the squad, we needed one player to take out, but I decided on him. I am happy with him, he’s training well. His commitment is fantastic, he’s a good guy. It was a tactical decision. I spoke with him about it, and my advice was to ‘keep going’. He’s a very good player, only our demands are at a high level, and some players and how they are performing last year and this year, are playing in the same position. We signed him because I believe in him. He will need time."

With the January transfer window opening in just a few days, it might soon become clearer what Elliott’s future path is set to be.

While Villa are unlikely to want to pay to send the player back to Liverpool, there have also been reports that they are not too enamoured with the idea of paying his wages for the remainder of the season.

The high-flying Villans are left with a huge dilemma to resolve, with meetings with the two clubs likely to take place in order to reach a conclusion. From the player’s perspective, he will hope to return to playing regular football and continuing his development as soon as possible.