Ahead of their clash against Crystal Palace on Sunday, Unai Emery has ruled out one Aston Villa player completely, meaning he could have played his final game for the club.
Aston Villa have just had a campaign beyond most supporters’ wildest dreams. Only six years ago the Villans were a mid-table Championship club and now, they’ve just confirmed their place in the 2024/25 Champions League.
Manchester City’s 2-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur was what sealed their destiny as Unai Emery penned a heartwarming message to the fans after achieving his ‘dream’.
It has been a dream campaign for Villa, as not even a semi-final exit from the Europa Conference League could dampen the progress they’ve made.
The Villans can travel to Crystal Palace this weekend in a relaxed mindset, knowing they’ve done their job and Emery can perhaps throw some of his talented academy youngsters into the squad.
Ahead of their trip to South London, the Spaniard has dropped an injury update, with news emerging that one player may have played his final game for the club.
Unai Emery rules Nicolo Zaniolo out of Crystal Palace clash
Emery has confirmed that Italian Nicolo Zaniolo will miss the match against Crystal Palace after picking up a foot injury during a brief cameo off the bench against Liverpool.
In his pre-match press conference, as per Birmingham Mail, Emery said: “Zaniolo broke his metatarsal and it is bad news.
“He was a doubt, but he did the effort to play on Monday because he had pain in his back after the match we played against Lille.
“He did the effort because we tried to use every players. Played 10 minutes and he broke his metatarsal and he will be out of the Euros. It is very sad for him. At the beginning of the season it will be difficult for him.”
Zaniolo arrived on loan from Galatasary last summer and has struggled to nail down a regular spot in Emery’s plans, starting nine of his 25 appearances in the top flight and scoring just twice.
As a result, it’s unlikely Villa will trigger his £25.8 million purchase option once his loan comes to an end, meaning he may have played his final game for the club.
Nicolo Zaniolo hasn’t done enough to warrant permanent Aston Villa stay
Although Alan Shearer previously lauded the Italian as “excellent”, his time at Villa Park has been anything but and unfortunately, his performances don’t warrant him joining permanently.
The 24-year-old has struggled to make things happen in claret and blue. As highlighted by FBref, Zaniolo ranks in the bottom 60% of Premier League’s attackers for progressive passes per 90 (3.22), the bottom 40% for progressive carries (3.75) and the bottom 64% for shot-creating actions (3.22).
With Villa competing in Europe’s elite competition next season, those numbers simply aren’t good enough and Emery needs to sign a bigger upgrade in the window.
It was reported back in February that the Villans wouldn’t be taking the Turkish giants up on their option to buy, and it’s unlikely their stance has changed in the last three months, with Zaniolo getting the ending befitting of his Villa career as a whole.
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