Emile Heskey has explained what Alejandro Garnacho needs to do to salvage his nightmare start to life at Aston Villa. The Chelsea loanee has struggled so far to make an impression at Villa Park, failing to secure a place on the bench, let alone a spot in the starting lineup.

football.london understands that Garnacho will sign a four-year contract with Unai Emery's side at the end of the season, subject to obligation‑to‑buy clause conditions, worth £42.5million, in his season-long loan agreement.

The Argentine, deemed surplus to requirements at Stamford Bridge, was personally requested by the Villans boss after Morgan Rogers was sold to Chelsea. The requirements for making the deal permanent remain unclear, but it's said that they're easily achievable.

However, Garnacho has hardly featured for Aston Villa this season, playing just 60 minutes across five games in the Premier League and the Champions League. He came off the bench in each of the first three games of the new English top-flight campaign and hasn't appeared again since.

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In fact, the 22-year-old hasn't even been named in the matchday squad of a Premier League match since October 10, when the Villans were held to a 2-2 draw by Brentford. He has, at least, been given a couple of runs out on the European stage, but again, from off the bench.

With the festive period on the horizon and plenty of games to be played, Heskey has explained what Garnacho needs to do to get into Emery's good books. The 48-year-old said: "It’s simple: Get on the pitch.

"That is the first priority for Alejandro Garnacho. You can't do anything from anywhere else but on the pitch. Work hard, get the fans on your side, get the manager on your side by doing exactly what he wants you to do."

Heskey continued: "There's no use you being a player from the substitutes' bench, is there? And no disrespect to anyone else, you need to give the manager a headache when you come on, showing why you actually should be starting, why you should be a regular, and why he should put you ahead of others. At this moment in time, he's not showing that."

As it stands, it remains to be seen whether Garnacho will meet the requirements for his move to Aston Villa to be made permanent, but the cracks have already begun to show. It would be a nightmare if Chelsea were to fall into the same trap as Liverpool, when they were sold down the river by the loan of Harvey Elliott.

In just the second week of September, Emery was quizzed on the winger's role in the squad. The Spaniard said: "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."

Telling Chelsea and Garnacho, alike, exactly what they wanted to hear, Emery added: "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."

Six weeks later, when asked to explain his absence from the matchday squad to face Manchester City, the Aston Villa boss regurgitated the same buzzwords. Emery told our colleagues at Birmingham Live: "He’s progressing.

"He played fantastic 20 minutes on Wednesday in Champions League, but today as well we have players as well now ready, available. And I am happy [with] how he is progressing, and of course, will have as well minutes, time to continue in the progression in how he showed with us on Wednesday..."