Harvey Elliott‘s tears on the finish of the season provided a powerful trace as to the place his future lies after Arne Slot stored him on the periphery of his first-team plans.
Final summer time, it felt like Elliott was getting ready for a season that might see him lastly push into the Liverpool beginning XI on a everlasting foundation.
The 22-year-old had simply made his most appearances for the membership in a single marketing campaign (53), clocking up 4 targets and 14 assists alongside the way in which.
And departing supervisor Jurgen Klopp had hinted extra was to return in claiming that one in every of his main regrets from his remaining marketing campaign in cost was not utilizing Elliott extra.
Together with his alternative, Arne Slot, stated to favour a extra technical model of soccer, it appeared a participant who had already amassed over 100 appearances for his boyhood membership was about to kick on and cement himself as a star of the crew.
HARVEY ELLIOTT, 2024/25
Began: 6 (All competitions)On in its place: 22Goals: 5Assists: 3Overall Season Ranking: 6.2
Early harm derails hopes beneath Slot
As an alternative of kicking on, with Slot’s first season now at its finish, Elliott finds himself going through an unsure Anfield future.
This alteration of fortunes will be partly traced again to an harm sustained in the course of the first worldwide break of the marketing campaign.
Elliott had seemed shiny throughout a pre-season tour that seemingly confirmed him as a very good match for Slot’s setup, however this was a poorly timed setback.
And its results had been nonetheless being felt when he returned in December, match sufficient to play however missing within the crucial sharpness to disrupt a now-settled beginning XI.
As Slot lately defined: “I’ve been sincere with him, the primary half after he got here again from his harm he wasn’t the identical as he was earlier than his harm.”
Sometimes, gamers often take a couple of weeks to search out their rhythm once more, however the supervisor’s reluctance to make use of Elliott continued till it grew to become inconceivable to argue he was something apart from unfancied.
So usually the ace up the sleeve beneath Klopp, he as a substitute was solely being turned to in really determined conditions beneath the German’s successor.
Actually, essentially the most notable of these, and maybe the second of the participant’s troublesome season, got here as he netted a late winner at Paris Saint-Germain March.
Nonetheless, by the tip of the season, Elliott had nonetheless posted simply 821 minutes, considerably lower than his 2,786 in 2023/24.
Defiance to acceptance
It was notable, additionally, that his language started to vary in interviews as the truth of the state of affairs started to hit residence.
In April, a defiant Elliott had instructed the Liverpool Echo: “I hope that I can push on [next season]. That is my crew, I’m dedicated to them and it’s only a state of affairs that’s all the time going to have lots of speak.”
However by Could, that had change into: “I’ve tried as arduous as I might and no matter occurs, occurs. It’s soccer on the finish of the day and for my part, I simply must do what’s greatest for my profession.”
Now it stays to be seen what Liverpool do as a result of it’s identified that golf equipment throughout Europe and inside the Premier League are eager to present them a choice to make.
Clearly, they’ve sensed a chance round a participant able to posting attacking numbers that mark him out as a really world-class expertise, even accounting for apparent substitute results.
That’s as a result of, whereas Liverpool are conscious of his means, it’s arduous to see the participant getting constant possibilities to indicate it with out additionally possessing the traits that might earn him the belief of his supervisor.
In the end, Elliott can enhance in lots of points, however he can’t change into faster, taller or a lot stronger, and when you find yourself already carrying Alexis Mac Allister and comparatively diminutive full-backs, throwing him in turns into a difficulty.
Nonetheless, there are not any ensures to be provided round Elliott, aside from to say that maybe a need to keep away from an excessive amount of turnover might earn him the reprieve of one other season at Anfield.
However his prospects for a keep past that presently look slim, which is a world away from the sensation round him simply 12 months in the past.
Greatest second: Late winner away to PSG.
Worst second: His tears on the pitch after Palace, suggesting he might depart the membership he grew up supporting this summer time.
Position subsequent season: Doubtless away from Anfield, whether or not on mortgage or everlasting.
