Liverpool’s Wonderkid: For Club and Country

Harvey Elliott has had a brilliant season for Liverpool so far this season, and has also made strides within the England youth setup. The 20-year-old midfielder has become an important member of Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool squad, already making 41 appearances for the Reds across all competitions this season.

His brilliant form led to shouts for Elliott to be included in Gareth Southgate’s senior England squad, but the midfielder didn’t quite make the cut in the end. Eyebrows were raised further, especially be Liverpool fans, when Manchester United’s Kobbie Mainoo made the team after just months of first-team football.

Elliott’s England Future

Many players could be left deflated after missing out despite a brilliant run of form, but Elliott showed nothing like that sort of attitude. The 20-year-old was named in the starting lineup for England Under-21’s clash with Azerbaijan Under-21’s on Friday afternoon and put in a massively impressive performance.

The Liverpool youngster put in a fighting-display, scoring twice in a 5-1 victory for the Three Lions. Elliott grabbed the first goal after 25 minutes to send England on their way to a comfortable victory in the end. His feisty and hard-working attitude saw him pick up a yellow card, too.

Elliott’s attention will now turn to England Under-21’s clash with Luxembourg Under-21’s on Tuesday. The 20-year-old will be looking to put in another impressive performance, to push his name further into the conversation for senior minutes for the Three Lions.

2023/24: A Year to Remember

After suffering a horrific injury back in the 2021/22 season, Elliott’s comeback has been quite remarkable, since then. Since the start of last season, he has been of Jurgen Klopp’s most-used players for Liverpool.

In my opinion, this season has seen Elliott develop his game completely – both in terms of quality and in maturity. Despite featuring from the bench more often than not, Elliott has still managed to rack up three goals and eight assists so far this season. His two goals for England Under-21’s now put him on 20 goal contributions for club and country this season.

That’s 11 goal contributions for Liverpool and nine for England Under-21’s. It’s hard to see Elliott not breaking into Gareth Southgate’s plans, along with Curtis Jones, in the near future.

Elliott’s Road Ahead

It’s hard to point out anything particular that Elliott needs to change about his game in order to make it into the England senior setup. At just 20-years-old, he still has plenty of time to develop into a world-class player.

This may be a controversial statement, but Elliott’s development could take a huge leap forward following the departure of Jurgen Klopp. For example, should Xabi Alonso arrive at Anfield, his tactical system and approach would suit Elliott massively in the future.

Alonso typically operates with two number tens, rather than out-and-out wingers. With Elliott perhaps lacking the necessary pace to be a direct Mo Salah replacement, this sort of system could see him gain a considerable increase in minutes and reach his full potential in his natural position.