Alejandro Garnacho was given just four minutes of game time for Aston Villa on the opening day of the Premier League season, a situation that has led former Villa midfielder Ray Houghton to suggest the alarm bells should already be ringing for the former Manchester United forward.
Villa were beaten 4-0 by Brighton, with Fabian Hurzeler's side four goals ahead after just 31 minutes. It has been another summer of upheaval for Garnacho, who left Chelsea after only one year at Stamford Bridge. The Argentinian forward scored eight times and recorded four assists in 43 appearances for the Blues after joining from United.
Struggles and a fresh start
Garnacho struggled for consistency and regular game time, and his behaviour off the pitch caused a stir during his time at Old Trafford. He has followed both Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho in moving to Villa Park in an attempt to restart his career.
Rashford impressed under Emery before a loan spell with Barcelona and returned to the United fold this season. Sancho, however, is still without a club after leaving United earlier this summer. Garnacho now finds his career at a similar crossroads, and Emery will be hoping to get the best out of the United academy graduate.
Houghton's warning
Speaking to GOAL after the defeat to Brighton, Houghton said: "I've got every respect for the kid, but I think the alarm bells should be ringing."
"His closest people, his family and friends, should be telling him that. What they should be saying to him is: 'Look where you've been, look what's happened to you and look where you are now, there's a reason this is happening, and it's down to you now.'
"This is another club that's going to give you a chance. You've got to seize it. No more excuses. No more saying, oh well there's something else at that club and someone else at that club. That's all gone now. It's down to the individual now. It's down to him as a player to seize it, grasp it and when he gets his chance make sure he's ready to take it."
Emery's approach
Houghton praised Emery's management style, saying: "Emery, he's been brilliant at Villa. I love him. I think he's a fantastic manager. I love his passion. I love his desire and if anyone's going to get the best out of him, I think it would be him."
"I think he'll give him some tough love but there'll be an expectation and you've got to live up to that expectation and you've got to deliver. If you don't deliver, he won't hang about with you. He's not that type of manager. He's not there for sentimentality, he's there because he wants people to be comfortable at the club, be given a chance and take it."
Houghton pointed to Youri Tielemans as an example of Emery's ability to turn a player around, noting that Tielemans had a great start at Villa before going off the boil, but after a word from the manager he turned it around and was "absolutely outstanding" last season before moving on.
