Unai Emery has confirmed that Harvey Elliott has not travelled with the Aston Villa squad to take on FC Basel in the Europa League. The Villa manager also disclosed that he has held multiple conversations with the Liverpool loanee regarding his limited game time.

Elliott has managed just five appearances for Villa this campaign, but he would become a permanent fixture in Emery's squad for £35million if he clocks up 10 appearances.

He hasn't been named in any of Villa's previous seven Premier League matchday squads, though he had been selected for their last five European matches this season.

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"We are speaking with him and about his situation. He is not here with us," Emery stated in his pre-match press conference. "Hopefully we can get the best for him and the best for us."

"I respect him as a player and as a person. He is training well, but we have one circumstance with him.

"Hopefully we can get a solution for him to try to play consistently and try to continue in his career with us or not.

"I have spoken with him two or three times about the situation we have with him," Emery continued. "Firstly, my decision and also the situation. He is on loan playing with us, but he is not definitely adding to us with a permanent contract."

Emery’s memories of his third Europa League triumph will come flooding back on Thursday night as he returns to St. Jakob-Park - where he beat Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool in 2016 - but he says he wants to “build a new moment” with Villa.

Having won the Europa League on four occasions, three of which came with Sevilla, Emery’s Villa have been installed as early favourites to win the competition this campaign.

They will be targeting a fifth win in six league phase matches this midweek, which could see them finish the night in the top two of the table.

“This competition is so, so special for me, Europe is so special … Why? Because it gave me a lot, a lot. Trophies, of course, and a lot of experiences,” Emery explained.

“Every year playing in Europe for me brings the possibility of fantastic memories, and I have enjoyed each year, each competition: Conference League, Champions League, and Europa League.

“It was fantastic for me, and I learnt a lot through Europe and through facing different teams. Of course, here we won the third Europa League with Sevilla, we won here against Liverpool, it was a fantastic day and memory for me.

“To remember it is very good, but, but, in football I want to build a new moment, a new era, a new way, and with Aston Villa I am so, so excited to be playing in Europe … two years ago in the Conference League, last season in the Champions League, and this year in the Europa League.

“Of course, it is very important for Aston Villa’s trajectory, our players’ trajectory, and my own trajectory. I’m so, so motivated, and of course playing tomorrow here I can remind myself of the moment I had here … when we are meeting with the players, we are trying to separate each competition.

“We are focusing, and we are understanding: what does it mean for everybody to play in Europe?”

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