Harvey Elliott could hardly have sent a more timely reminder to Arne Slot as he once again proved to be the savior for England U21s.
Elliott has been linked with a move away from the Reds after a difficult first season under Slot. Having made 53 appearances in total during the 2023/24 campaign, the 22-year-old found game time much harder to come by under Jurgen Klopp’s successor, playing 28 times, including just six starts.
His place in the side has come under further scrutiny this summer after the arrival of Florian Wirtz in what could prove to be a Premier League record transfer. The German’s signing would appear to push Elliott further down the pecking order, with Dominik Szoboszlai having already established himself in the No.10 role.
But Elliott sent a reminder back to Slot of why he shouldn’t be written off just yet as he fired the Young Lions to the final of the UEFA European U21 Championship.
Elliott scored both of England’s goals as the Netherlands were beaten 2-1 in Bratislava, sending Lee Carsley’s side through to face either France or Germany in Saturday’s final as they look to defend their title.
The Liverpool star took his tally for the tournament to four goals, with both of his strikes against the Dutch certainly catching the eye, particularly his winner as he danced past opposition defenders before directing the ball past the outstretched hand of Robin Roefs.
Harvey Elliott has been linked with a move away from Liverpool this summer
Harvey Elliott has been linked with a move away from Liverpool this summer (Image: Getty Images)
Elliott’s latest display comes amid more speculation over his future, with Spanish outlet Estadio Deportivo claiming he is of interest to Aston Villa.
The report suggests he’s being eyed as an alternative to Marco Asensio, with transfer talks between Villa and Paris Saint-Germain said to not be progressing well following the former Real Madrid star’s spell on loan.
Elliott though has shown Liverpool will need to think carefully about his future, with the player himself having suggested he may need to move away this summer.
"It's been hard with how much I've played," Elliott told Sky Sports last month. "I've tried as hard as I could and whatever happens, happens.
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"It's about what's best for my career. It's about reflecting and seeing what I can do.”
Explaining why Elliott has had fewer opportunities under him, Slot said: “I have mainly chosen other players, also in part because he was injured for a long time and, I have been honest with him, the first part after he came back from his injury he wasn't the same before his injury.
"But the last few months he is back to his old level again.
"There is no need for me to start with different players but I think if you look at the amount of minutes he has had in the last two months, and the months before, you can see it goes up already.
"That tells you that I like him more when he came back from his injury in the first months.”