Aston Villa vs. Nottingham Forest: Unai Emery makes Alejandro Garnacho admission ahead of Midlands fixture

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has suggested that Alejandro Garnacho is yet to produce the level of play required to earn regular minutes at the club.

During the summer transfer window, Villa signed the winger on loan from Chelsea, with a permanent deal expected to become mandatory as the season progresses.

However, the Argentine has been restricted to three substitute appearances in the Premier League, while he remained on the bench for Tuesday's Champions League victory at Club Brugge.

With the 22-year-old not the only summer signing to have spent most of the early weeks of the campaign on the sidelines, his lack of minutes is not a total surprise.

Nevertheless, speaking ahead of Saturday's Premier League fixture against Nottingham Forest, Emery hinted that Garnacho has some way to go before convincing him to select him in his first XI.

© Imago / Antonio Balasco

Emery praises Garnacho "attitude" despite level of Villa form

As per BBC Sport, Emery says that he is hopeful of Garnacho eventually being able to deliver his "best performance".

The Spaniard said: "First is positive - his attitude. His attitude is very important, he is getting the commitment we need to achieve it. Now he needs time. Time, hard work every day, and he is showing it with his attitude. Then, everything he is progressing.

"Every training session we are doing, he is showing he can play matches. He played a few minutes, but it was not enough, firstly due to the minutes he played and the things he showed.

"Progressively, I am seeing him better. The most important thing is being consistent and demanding through the attitude he has. Then, I believe and I trust that he will achieve his best performance."

Meanwhile, as per The Athletic's John Townley, Emery set Garnacho a target, albeit seemingly to acknowledge that he failed to impress at Chelsea during the second half of last season.

He added: "We want him at the same level he was for Chelsea in the first part of last season and in Manchester two years ago.

"He is a player we have signed for a long time, and we will help him to feel comfortable and confident to get his quality."

© Imago / Xinhua

When will Garnacho start an Aston Villa fixture?

With a four-day break from the Club Brugge game, the assumption is that Emery will name a similar team from that occasion against Nottingham Forest.

However, he could take the opportunity versus Coventry City in the EFL Cup third round on Wednesday night to use Garnacho from the first whistle.

The likes of Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Matteo Ruggeri and Ibrahim Mbaye all find themselves in similar situations.