For Liverpool as a whole and many of the players individually, the first season under manager Arne Slot has been an unqualified success with the Reds securing their 20th domestic league title and starring turns for many.
Perhaps inevitably, though, for a handful of players the transition to a new manager has proven difficult and minutes have been harder to come by than under Jürgen Klopp. Few stand out in that category quite like Harvey Elliott.
The 22-year-old boyhood Liverpool fan seemed primed to turn into a dynamic attacking midfielder under Klopp, and on paper at least he seemed a good fit for the new manager—but in practice, things just haven’t worked out.
“It’s been hard at times with how much I’ve played,” Elliott said after Monday’s game at Brighton where he scored a goal in what was just his second league start. “I’ve tried as hard as I could and whatever happens, happens.
“It’s football at the end of the day and in my opinion, I just need to do what’s best for my career, so it’s about reflecting and seeing what I can do now—but I’m still here at the moment and I’m focusing on the final game.”
Few players had fans hoping as much for success at the club as Elliott. But if he doesn’t see a path to regular minutes at this point in his career, his sixth year at the club, it’s easy to understand why he would consider a change.
There’s similar noise around 22-year-old club trained Jarell Quansah, who many saw as the future at centre half under Klopp, as well as striker Darwin Nuñez and last summer’s only first team signing, winger Federico Chiesa.
“I think every player wants to play each and every game, each and every minute, but sometimes it’s just not going to happen,” Elliott added. “It’s about reflecting, seeing what I can do better, and just going from there.”
“We’ve all worked really hard though the season. Some lads like myself haven’t played as much so now it’s about going out and enjoying it. We want to win, but we need to take our positives into the final game next week.”