Unai Emery faces key decisions over Villarreal squad amid crowded pre-season training

Key decisions await Unai Emery as the start of pre-season approaches.

Villarreal will begin their pre-season training next week as they start their preparations for the new season.

We thought we might see a number of sales this summer amid interest in Pau Torres and Arnaut Danjuma.

But we are yet to see any progress on those potential exits, with both players staying put for now.

We did see Ruben Pena and Sergio Asenjo leave the club, while Jose Luis Morales was snapped up from Levante.

But those movements mean Emery still has a very large squad entering pre-season.

As detailed by Diario AS, as many as 32 players will be involved in pre-season training with the first-team from Monday.

Photo by Aitor Alcalde/Getty Images

Emery will then need to make key decisions over the futures of some of his players.

Ten young players are within that total, and Emery will need to decide which players will play a part in the coming season and which will be sent out on loan, or indeed sent to Villarreal B.

The B side offer a unique opportunity in the coming season in that they will play in the second tier, the level many of the young players would be playing on loan spells anyway.

Though, of course, there is financial benefit to sending players out on loan to other clubs, and it’s also important for growth for young players to experience working in new places with new personnel.

There will also be decisions to make on senior players for Emery, especially with more signings expected between now and the end of the summer.

We are not expecting an overly large amount of arrivals, but Villarreal are likely to pursue a goalkeeper to replace Asenjo, as well as another centre-back, something the returning Jorge Cuenca could help with.

We may also see a striker if the right opportunity presents himself.

A crucial few weeks ahead for Emery as he looks to shape his squad for the new season.