There can be something of an overreaction regarding Aston Villa during preseason friendlies. Even during the season itself, Unai Emery is often faced with a couple of different decisions that can be difficult to judge. Someone is inevitably going to be left out who is seen as a controversy.
Various players who could and will be having a large role for Villa during the various preseason matches have been left out. For Emery, there is a balance that needs to be had. While everyone needs to be ready and have the chance to gain match fitness, there is also the need to provide different looks and give opportunities to others who are young and could foreseeably be the future of the club.
When, therefore, someone like Emiliano Martínez, John McGinn, or Jacob Ramsey is not involved in a friendly against Eintracht Frankfurt or St. Louis City SC, that does not then consequentially mean that they are on their way out. They were likely told in advance as to their not playing for whichever match was in question.
When to start to look at the Aston Villa lineups
Even within the season, Emery will be forced to at times leave someone out who would likely be a regular starter at any other Premier League side. An exclusion does not mean that there is an agenda against a player or that Monchi is readily looking for the nearest opportunity to ship someone off.
Only Emery will truly know what is going on in terms of the rotation. When the first Premier League match against Newcastle United takes place, that is when it becomes more appropriate to potentially look into the tea leaves. Even then, there could be other factors at play. Certainly, the early summer months in the United States are not the time to be overcritical or to push any form of a narrative regarding any of the Villa players.