Young Liverpool midfielder Harvey Elliott faces another tough challenge ahead in Spain, as Valencia is set for plenty of change with a managerial shift now confirmed
Harvey Elliott of Valencia during the La Liga EA Sports match between Sevilla FC and Valencia CF
Harvey Elliott has had a difficult start to life with Valencia(Image: (Photo by Antonio Pozo / Pressinphoto / Icon Sport))
If Harvey Elliott was expecting to walk into a settled environment at Valencia when he joined the club this summer, then the past few weeks have certainly been different from what the star has actually seen.
The Liverpool star made the move to Spain late in the summer transfer window, as he looks to rebuild his career once again, following a difficult past 12 months. After a tough spell on loan at Aston Villa, which was expected to end with a permanent move that never came, the midfield ace returned to the Reds in search of some stability.
While Andoni Iraola gave some opportunities in preseason, it was clear quite quickly that he wouldn't fit what the manager wanted from him, as Elliott was left out of several matchday squads at the start of the campaign.
The 23-year-old made his way to Valencia hopeful that he could land some more minutes, a bit of momentum, and a chance to get back to his very best.
What he has walked into, however, is a bit of a mess.
The Spanish side sits at the bottom of La Liga after five games, picking up just one draw in those matches, with plenty of unrest from the supporters following in place.
Elliott has only landed two substitute appearances so far, as he looks to build up his fitness and work his way into the team, but there has already been a key change.
Valencia has announced that head coach Carlos Corberan has been fired, ending his contract and bringing about an important move for the team in a bid to turn around its fortunes in the remaining matches.
Carlos Corberan
Carlos Corberan(Image: Getty Images)
Oscar Sanchez will be the interim head coach in the meantime, while Valencia carries out some work to find Corberan's potential future replacement.
Reports had previously claimed that the head coach was influential in bringing Elliott to the Mestalla Stadium, but with his dismissal confirmed, the playmaker will now have to start fresh with a new manager at the helm.
Whether that means more or fewer chances moving forward remains to be seen, but the fact that a manager who had a hand in bringing the 23-year-old to the club is quite a blow, as the next manager may not have him in their plans.
All of that remains to be seen, with two huge matches coming up for Valencia to steer clear of danger. Alaves is next up in La Liga action, before Real Sociedad visits the Mestalla, with the international break then following.
It sets up another volatile situation for Elliott to find himself in, as he looks to come through a challenging year and stamp his place as an important player moving forward.