Alejandro Garnacho holds one-to-one meetings with manager

Alejandro Garnacho has not exactly hit the ground running at Aston Villa since joining the club from Chelsea on a loan basis in the summer transfer window.

The Argentine, who failed to impress in the majority of his first season at Chelsea, has made just three Premier League appearances for Villa so far this season.

Each of those appearances has come from off the bench, too, with Garnacho pushed out of starting contention by other Villa players including George Hemmings.

It has left many to speculate about the 22-year-old’s immediate future, over the course of the international break, as the January transfer window looms closer.

In a bid to save his Aston Villa career, Garnacho has spent the nearly three-week international break conducting his own ‘mini pre-season’ according to The Telegraph.

That programme, aimed at both targeting and improving the 22-year-old’s fitness and abilities, has clearly made progress, with him scoring against both Southampton and Sevilla in friendlies during the international break.

The Argentine has also held one-to-one meetings with Villa boss Unai Emery, according to the publication, with focus now on the side’s game today against Brentford at Villa Park.

For Garnacho, the international break appears to have been crucial in his future prospects at Aston Villa.

With a new programme set and a second chance supposedly given, it is now down to the former Manchester United winger to deliver.

If he can deliver on Emery’s chance, he might just be able to direct his career in the right path. If he cannot do that, however, his spell at Aston Villa could be just as unsuccessful as his ones with both Chelsea and United.

It is Garnacho’s chance to prove himself. Whether he takes that chance will be revealed over the course of the coming weeks.