Aston Villa exclude Donyell Malen and Andres Garcia from Champions League squad | OneFootball

Aston Villa signed attacker Donyell Malen and right-back Andres Garcia in the winter transfer window, but the pair have been left out of the club’s squad for the Champions League knockout phase.

Malen joined the Villains from Borussia Dortmund in search of a more prominent role, while Garcia was an addition from Levante, who has been tearing it up in the Spanish second division.

Unfortunately, the pair will be ineligible for selection in Villa’s European matchday squads after the club progressed to the round of 16.

Unai Emery’s side was active in the transfer market, bringing five new players through the doors of Villa Park.

Marcus Rashford, Marco Asensio, and Axel Disasi joined on loan, while Malen and Garcia arrived on permanent deals. However, UEFA regulations permit only three squad changes for the knockout rounds, forcing Villa into a selection dilemma.

“The rules only allow three changes,” Emery stated in a press conference on Friday (via The Athletic). “We made more changes in the transfer window than initially planned, and we also lost one club-trained player in Jaden Philogene, which limited our options. We had to make tough decisions, and unfortunately, Andres Garcia and Donyell Malen will not be included. I have spoken to them to explain the situation.”

Villa finished eighth in the Champions League league phase, advancing directly to the last 16 without a play-off. They will face one of Borussia Dortmund, Atalanta, Sporting CP, or Club Brugge in the next round.

The Villans will still have enough in the arsenal to cause problems for any team they face. Rashford can play on the left side of attack or through the middle, meaning Malen won’t be sorely missed in Europe.

Garcia had a debut to forget as Aston Villa lost 2-0 to their West Midlands rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers in their last Premier League outing.

The new Villa right-back won only two of his eight duels, completed only one of three attempted dribbles, and made one error leading to a shot while being dribbled past once.