Liverpool attacking midfielder Harvey Elliott might need to leave the club in search of more minutes this summer, but he is currently away with England at the U21 European Championship in Slovakia.
As part of the media rounds before facing Slovenia today, the Liverpool ace was put on the spot and asked to pick between two names in a "winner stays on" style competition. Elliott picked the AC Milan forward Rafael Leao over Liverpool teammate Ryan Gravenberch and then went with Chelsea's Cole Palmer over incoming Reds signing Florian Wirtz.
Wirtz, of course, plays a similar role to Elliott. The latter struggled to get minutes for Liverpool last season because of Dominik Szoboszlai, but the arrival of the German international from Bayer Leverkusen will only make the competition even sterner.
"It's just a situation that me and the team have to have a conversation about because I'm coming into an age now where I'm 22, I'm going to be 23 next season," Elliott said last week, via BBC Sport, when asked if he is considering leaving Liverpool.
"I don't really want to be wasting years on my career because it's a short career. You don't know what's going to happen.
"I need to reflect. I need to see if I'm content in doing what I'm doing and how can I improve as a player because that's the most important thing.
"I just want to improve and be the best possible version of myself. If that's to go somewhere else, then it's a decision that I'm going to have to make and I just need to see what happens.
"Nothing makes me want to leave. I love the club, I love the fans, the team. I support them as well. But most importantly, it's just about what's best for my career."
Jurgen Klopp said it was the biggest regret of his final season in charge that he didn't use Elliott more, but the Liverpool number 19's role was dramatically reduced in the campaign that followed under Arne Slot.
"I think first of all it's very important that players who are here with us like to stay," Slot said in a press conference near the end of the season when he was asked specifically about Elliott's future.
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
Fanatics Official Sports Apparel — Liverpool
"That's a big compliment to everyone working here. Harvey is one of the players that hasn't had as much playing time as he maybe deserves. But like some others, he is in competition with so many good players.
"Also, partly because he was injured for a long time, and I've been honest with him. The first part, after he came back from his injury, he wasn't the same as he was before his injury.
"But the last few months he's back to his old level again but there was no need for me to start with different players. I think if you look at the amount of minutes he had in the last one or two months and the time before you can see it goes up already.
"That tells you that we like — I like — him more now than I did when he came back from his injury in the first month."
Liverpool.com says: Elliott has a big decision coming this summer. Liverpool won't let him go on the cheap, but he probably needs a move given his lack of minutes. If he plays every week somewhere, he should be eyeing the senior England roster for next summer's World Cup in the USA, Mexico and Canada.