Harvey Elliott is set for a much bigger role at Liverpool during 2022/23.
That’s according to The Athletic, who claim that the 19-year-old will be given considerably more game time than last season.
It’s also reported that the young midfielder would have been ‘heavily’ involved last campaign if not for injury. The damaging ankle fracture he picked up in September cost him a lot of game-time at Liverpool.
Elliott started three out of Liverpool’s first four Premier League games last season. But after returning from injury in January, he only started three more in all competitions.
Big season ahead for Elliott
Elliott will turn twenty during the coming season. Granted, that isn’t until April, but he should no longer be considered as a youngster on the cusp of the first-team.
For comparison, by nineteen, Trent Alexander-Arnold was already starting in a Champions League final.
That might sound like a lofty yardstick for Elliott to compare himself to. But given his long-standing reputation as one of the most exciting youngsters in the game, he needs to kick on and aim for more.
In fairness to the man signed from Fulham for around £4m in 2019, he looked like doing that last August.
His performances at the beginning of the Premier League campaign were astonishingly assured. Jurgen Klopp trusted Elliott to play in a completely new position in the early part of the season, and he absolutely looked the part.
After injury, Elliott understandably came off a little rusty. But between playing in the underage teams at Liverpool and excelling for England U21 this summer, he should have his sharpness back when pre-season rolls around next week.
If he can impress Klopp even half as much as he reportedly did this time last year, he could find himself starting against his old club on August 6th.
Whether that’s the case or not, Elliott needs to kick on again in 2022/23.
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