Emile Heskey has a simple message for Alejandro Garnacho: stop talking and start playing. The former Aston Villa forward wants the club's Chelsea loanee to answer his critics with performances rather than words, as the winger continues to struggle for minutes at Villa Park.
Garnacho, 22, joined Villa on a season-long loan from Chelsea over the summer but has made just three Premier League appearances so far, all of them off the bench. He hasn't featured at all since September 5, when he came on for the closing 15 minutes or so of a scoreless draw with Hull City. Since then he's been an unused substitute in four straight fixtures, against Club Brugge, Nottingham Forest, Coventry City and Tottenham Hotspur.
Speaking to Betarades, via football.london, Heskey didn't hold back on what he wants to see from the young Argentine.
"With young players like Alejandro Garnacho, I would like to see less talking and more action. Less talking and more action, please," Heskey said. "He is not a bad player, but I don't want to hear anything from him. I just want to see him playing football."
He added: "Do it the simple way. Come play the game and love the game. We don't need the exaggerated celebration or anything. You need to show us why we are wrong and we should shut our mouths."
Emery's Patience and Chelsea's Conditions
Garnacho reportedly cited Unai Emery as a key reason for choosing to move to the West Midlands, but the Spanish manager has so far given him little in the way of trust or minutes. Even so, Emery has publicly backed the winger's long-term prospects at the club.
"We want him at the same level he was for Chelsea in the first part of last season and in Manchester two years ago," Emery said of Garnacho. "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."
Chelsea agreed the loan deal with Villa back in July, with a conditional obligation attached that could turn the move permanent next summer. Sources at Stamford Bridge have not detailed exactly what those conditions involve, though they've been described to football.london as "straightforward."
