After being substituted after 45 minutes of playing, Sancho refused to high-five Barkley and ignored Emery.

In the 9th round of the Premier League on October 27, Villa defeated Manchester City 1-0. In this game, Sancho came on as a substitute for 45 minutes and was replaced.

Sancho has yet to start a league game for Villa and was once again placed on the bench by Emery in this game. He replaced the injured Buendia in the 29th minute, but his performance was mediocre. Apart from a close-range shot early in the second half that forced Donnarumma to make a save, Sancho had little impact on the game.

In the 74th minute, Emery decided to replace Sancho with Barkley. Sancho clearly expressed his displeasure as he walked to the bench, first rejecting Barkley's high-five and then ignoring Emery's attempt to comfort him.

After the game, Emery explained that replacing Sancho was part of the plan: "It will not be easy, first of all because Sancho has played 60 minutes in the Europa League. He is recovering his fitness, but it is not enough. I originally planned to keep him next He came on at half-time, but because Buendia was injured, I decided to let him come on as soon as possible to get game time and physical training."

Sancho has experienced a difficult few years since joining Manchester United from Dortmund for 73 million pounds in the summer of 2021. He performed well in the Bundesliga but fell far short of expectations at Manchester United. This summer, he was loaned to Chelsea, but was sent back to Manchester United due to poor performance. In the end, Emery brought him to Villa on transfer deadline day.

Although the adaptation process of Sancho and another new aid Elliott at Villa was not smooth, Emery still stated that he would help Sancho find his best condition and return to the England team.