Garnacho scores twice in friendlies to answer Emery's 'work harder' challenge at Aston Villa

Alejandro Garnacho delivered a timely reminder of his ability during the international break, scoring in each of Aston Villa’s two friendly fixtures after a difficult start to life at his new club. The Argentine forward, who joined Villa from Chelsea in the summer, had played just 31 minutes of competitive football this season and was an unused substitute in back-to-back Premier League matches against Nottingham Forest and Tottenham.

Garnacho opened his account for the club last week when Villa defeated Championship side Southampton 1-0, then followed it up with another strike on Friday evening as Villa claimed the Antonio Puerta Trophy with a 3-1 win over Sevilla in Spain. Isaac Romero gave the La Liga side an early lead, but Ross Barkley equalised before Garnacho put Villa ahead eight minutes later. Max Jenner rounded off the scoring to seal the trophy. Taylor Harwood-Bellis also made his first start for the club since arriving from Southampton.

After the double-header, Garnacho took to Instagram to signal his intent ahead of the Premier League’s resumption. Posting a photograph of himself in action, he wrote: “2 test, 2 goals. Ready now!”

The message comes in direct response to pressure from manager Unai Emery, who had publicly called on the winger to earn his place through hard work following his absence from the squad during the Carabao Cup win over Coventry City.

“[He has to] continue working,” Emery said. “Work, work, train, work. When he can have minutes to play, try and play well. He is progressing, but we have players in front of him now. George [Hemmings] is playing fantastic. Alysson is also understanding things well and is giving us things I want.”

Emery also pointed to pre-season disruption as a factor in Garnacho’s slow integration. “Garnacho is a little bit behind, because of some circumstances we had in pre-season. It is time to be patient for the time he needs.”

The 20-year-old had faced criticism from some supporters online, with suggestions that his form had dipped sharply since leaving Manchester United. Back-to-back goals in the space of a week will do little to dampen his confidence ahead of what could be a pivotal few weeks in his bid to force his way into Emery’s starting plans.