Aston Villa have joined Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table after a 3-2 win over Burnley, but Italy winger Nicolò Zaniolo was not involved and hasn’t yet completed a full league game under Unai Emery.
Zaniolo has recently scored his first Premier League goal against Sheffield United, but the Italy international is no longer a regular starter at Villa Park.
The former Roma striker started his last Premier League game on December 3 against Bournemouth but was subbed off during the break for the third time in a row.
Zaniolo had had a promising start at Aston Villa and was praised by Emery in October. He had started six of the opening nine Premier League games but failed to contribute with a goal or an assist.
His involvement in a betting scandal in October may have affected his performances even if the Italian didn’t gamble on football games so he was not banned like his compatriots Sandro Tonali and Nicolò Fagioli.
Zaniolo spent four of the last nine Premier League matches on the bench, missing a meeting with Tottenham in November due to an injury.
He was introduced as a substitute in the final minutes against Brentford, Sheffield and Manchester United but remained on the bench against Burnley in Aston Villa’s most recent match. He hasn’t yet completed a full Premier League game this season.
His late equaliser against Sheffield before Christmas helped the Villans avoid a home defeat, but his first and only Premier League goal has been his sole contribution in league games.
Italy coach Luciano Spalletti hasn’t lost trust in the 24-year-old although the Azzurri CT has recently claimed Zaniolo must change some bad habits.
Zaniolo has made four appearances under the Italy coach and is expected to be part of the Azzurri squad at Euro 2024 next summer.
His future at Aston Villa remains uncertain as he moved to England last summer on loan with an option to buy from Galatasaray.