Harvey Elliott of Liverpool arrives during the Premier League match Newcastle United vs Liverpool at St. James's Park, Newcastle, United Kingdom, 25th August 2025(Photo by Mark Cosgrove/News Images)
Harvey Elliott of Liverpool arrives during the Premier League match Newcastle United vs Liverpool at St. James's Park, Newcastle, United Kingdom, 25th August 2025(Photo by Mark Cosgrove/News Images)
Harvey Elliott’s search for regular football took him away from Anfield again this summer, when the midfielder completed a season-long loan move to Valencia on deadline day.
The 23-year-old had returned to Liverpool for pre-season after a difficult campaign on loan at Aston Villa.
He featured in Liverpool’s pre-season tour of the United States, but he was left out of the matchday squads for Liverpool’s opening two Premier League games against Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest.
With his path to regular football on Merseyside blocked, Elliott completed his move to Mestalla. His contract with Liverpool runs until June 2028, and the loan does not include an option to make the move permanent.
His start to life in Spain, though, has been anything but smooth.
Elliott arrived at the club carrying extra weight, which raised early concerns over his fitness, and Valencia went on to sack head coach Carlos Corberan after a poor start to the season, with Javier Aguirre later appointed as his replacement.
The managerial change left the midfielder having to prove himself all over again.
His only involvement of note so far came as a substitute in Valencia’s 2-2 draw with Racing Santander, when he was introduced in the 58th minute and helped inject fresh energy into a struggling side that had fallen 2-1 behind.
He has managed just 133 minutes of action at Valencia, none of them as a starter.
Now, according to a report from journalist Nacho Sanchis, all parties have sat down with Elliott to address that lack of game time.
Valencia and Liverpool have asked the midfielder to step up, run more, and be more pragmatic with the ball, while continuing to train as he has been doing. Elliott, for his part, is said to be very open to the request.
Sanchis posted: “All parties have sat down with Harvey Elliott: Valencia CF and Liverpool, and they’ve asked him to step up.
“To run more, be pragmatic with the ball, and keep training as he has been doing so far. The player is very open to it.”
The conversation comes amid growing encouragement from within Mestalla. Aguirre has already praised Elliott’s attitude since taking charge, revealing that the midfielder is now working with a private nutritionist and is looking more refined physically.
“I’m delighted with his attitude, he has a lot of quality and he’s a Valencia CF player,” Aguirre said, via Super Deporte. “You have to get the best possible out of it.”
Aguirre is understood to favour Elliott in a central attacking midfield role, believing that position offers the best platform to use his attributes, with the recent international break giving the coach extra time to assess him in training.
Spanish daily Superdeporte has reported that the wait for regular minutes “should not last much longer,” with Elliott expected to gradually increase his quota of minutes as his physical condition improves.
Valencia host Villarreal on Sunday, a fixture that could hand Elliott his first start since arriving in Spain, before a Copa del Rey trip to Tavernes and a league visit to Elche.
Liverpool, who retain a close interest in his progress, will be hoping the increased dialogue translates into a more productive second half of his season-long loan.
➕Os digo más. Todas las partes se han sentado con Harvey Elliot: Valencia CF y Liverpool, y le han pedido un paso al frente.
Que corra más, sea pragmático con la pelota y siga entrenando como hasta ahora. El jugador, muy predispuesto.
Es lógico, el VCF no se puede permitir una ficha tan alta sin jugar, y el Liverpool un activo por el que pagó 15M sin jugar. Ahora depende de él.
— Nacho Sanchis (@sanchis14) October 22, 2026
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