Harvey Elliott: 'Loving figure' of Unai Emery can bring out my best at Aston Villa

The deadline day signing from Liverpool made his debut off the bench in Saturday’s 0-0 draw at Everton and could make his first start in Tuesday’s Carabao Cup tie at Brentford.

Elliott explained how his first fortnight at Villa has left him in no doubt he made the right move in leaving the Reds, with Emery playing a huge role in his decision.

The 22-year-old said: “The first time I ever spoke to him, I was blown away by the way he was and what he had to say about me.

“As the weeks have gone on, you see it more and more. He’s a very loving figure, he’s always looking out for you and making sure you’re okay. 

“He does the best he can to help you as a player. I think working under him is going to be the best thing for me, as long as he trusts me. 

“That’s all that matters, I want to put everything on the pitch for him and work as hard as I can for him.”

Elliott, who grew up a Liverpool fan, made 150 appearances for the club, winning the Premier League and Carabao Cup.

He joined Villa on a season-long loan with the deal including an obligation to buy for £35million and a buy-back option for the Reds.

Elliott said: “I think the most important thing for me when I was making the decision was to be playing first-team football. 

“I need to be in a team where I’m getting regular minutes. Whether that’s starting or coming off the bench, just having that feeling of going into a matchday knowing you’re going to play, that’s the only way I can improve now.

“The love I have for Liverpool is still going to be there forever, that’s not going to change, I’m still going to be watching and looking out for them from afar. I’m wishing them all the very best.

“But sometimes in football you need to be selfish. I made the decision to leave because I wanted to do what’s best for me. I take all of my experiences and everything I learnt from Liverpool. Hopefully I can start to kick on now.”

Villa will head to Brentford on Tuesday still searching for their first goal of the season after again drawing a blank at Everton. It is the first time in club history they have failed to score in their first four matches of the season.

“I just really hope we can kick on from here,” said Elliott. “We’ve got a tough period coming up with two more away games including the cup midweek, so it’s going to be a busy period for us. 

“It’s a lot of travelling but we need to keep fighting, especially for the fans, give them what they deserve, which is three points. 

“We need to fight as much as we can for them and I’m sure the results will start coming our way soon.”