Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola has provided an update on the future of Harvey Elliott at Anfield, following a disappointing 12 months for the youngster.
Elliott was loaned out to Aston Villa last summer in the hope that he would be a key figure under Unai Emery, but instead, he barely featured overall.
It saw the 23-year-old go backwards in his development, as he looks to reach his potential, and he is now back at Liverpool for the start of pre-season.
Speaking in his first press conference in charge of Liverpool on Monday [via This Is Anfield], Iraola hinted that he sees a future for Elliott at the club he supported as a boy:
“Harvey is here with us. He has come [in early] also. I’ve seen him with this eagerness to show himself, to get himself ready again. He will have a chance during the pre-season; we will need him.
“It’s a good sign that he came a week earlier, he’s been training with the under-21s, and I hope we can see him in a good place. I think Harvey, last season had to be very difficult for him, because it was a strange situation where basically they couldn’t even put him in to play. I think he uses what he has experienced, the bad situation, to make him even more eager to be a Liverpool player, yes.”
Will Harvey Elliott stay at Liverpool this summer?
These are encouraging words from Elliott’s point of view, and for the many Liverpool fans who would like him to remain at the club beyond the summer.
It certainly isn’t a guarantee that an offer for the attacking midfielder won’t be accepted at some point, but Iraola is willing to watch him in action and possibly retain his services.
This comes after the Spaniard also made it clear that he would like to keep hold of Curtis Jones, so it seems clear that he sees the importance of Liverpool retaining top-quality homegrown players.
Elliott needs to go up another gear if he wants to stay at Liverpool and be a genuine key man, but few would complain about having him around as a strong squad option.