Harvey Elliott never recovered from early setback – now faces future away from Anfield

Harvey Elliott‘s tears at the end of the season offered a strong hint as to where his future lies after Arne Slot kept him on the periphery of his first-team plans.

Last summer, it felt like Elliott was preparing for a season that would see him finally push into the Liverpool starting XI on a permanent basis.

The 22-year-old had just made his most appearances for the club in a single campaign (53), clocking up four goals and 14 assists along the way.

And departing manager Jurgen Klopp had hinted more was to come in claiming that one of his major regrets from his final campaign in charge was not using Elliott more.

With his replacement, Arne Slot, said to favour a more technical brand of football, it seemed a player who had already amassed over 100 appearances for his boyhood club was about to kick on and cement himself as a star of the team.

Early injury derails hopes under Slot

Instead of kicking on, with Slot’s first season now at its end, Elliott finds himself facing an uncertain Anfield future.

This change of fortunes can be partly traced back to an injury sustained during the first international break of the campaign.

Elliott had looked bright during a pre-season tour that seemingly confirmed him as a good fit for Slot’s setup, but this was a poorly timed setback.

And its effects were still being felt when he returned in December, fit enough to play but lacking in the necessary sharpness to disrupt a now-settled starting XI.

As Slot recently explained: “I’ve been honest with him, the first part after he came back from his injury he wasn’t the same as he was before his injury.”

Typically, players usually take a few weeks to find their rhythm again, but the manager’s reluctance to use Elliott continued until it became impossible to argue he was anything other than unfancied.

So often the ace up the sleeve under Klopp, he instead was only being turned to in truly desperate situations under the German’s successor.

In fact, the most notable of those, and perhaps the moment of the player’s difficult season, came as he netted a late winner at Paris Saint-Germain March.

However, by the end of the season, Elliott had still posted just 821 minutes, significantly less than his 2,786 in 2023/24.

Defiance to acceptance

It was notable, also, that his language began to change in interviews as the reality of the situation began to hit home.

In April, a defiant Elliott had told the Liverpool Echo: “I hope that I can push on [next season]. This is my team, I am committed to them and it’s just a situation that is always going to have a lot of talk.”

But by May, that had become: “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.”

Now it remains to be seen what Liverpool do because it is known that clubs across Europe and within the Premier League are keen to give them a decision to make.

Clearly, they have sensed an opportunity around a player capable of posting attacking numbers that mark him out as a truly world-class talent, even accounting for obvious substitute effects.

That is because, while Liverpool are aware of his ability, it is hard to see the player getting consistent chances to show it without also possessing the traits that would earn him the trust of his manager.

Ultimately, Elliott can improve in many aspects, but he can’t become quicker, taller or much stronger, and when you are already carrying Alexis Mac Allister and relatively diminutive full-backs, throwing him in becomes an issue.

Still, there are no guarantees to be offered around Elliott, apart from to say that perhaps a desire to avoid too much turnover could earn him the reprieve of another season at Anfield.

But his prospects for a stay beyond that currently look slim, which is a world away from the feeling around him just 12 months ago.

Best moment: Late winner away to PSG.

Worst moment: His tears on the pitch after Palace, suggesting he may leave the club he grew up supporting this summer.

Role next season: Likely away from Anfield, whether on loan or permanent.