With Arne Slot once again emphasising the competition Harvey Elliott is facing in his bid for a midfield spot, the coach noted “a few youngsters coming through.”
Liverpool are known for the quality of their academy, not only in bringing local players through but also in recruiting them from other clubs at a young age.
Elliott arguably fits that category having joined from Fulham as a 16-year-old in 2019, though he was quickly brought into the first-team setup, where he has largely remained for the five-and-a-half years since.
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Still only 21, he has shown commendable maturity in his approach to a lack of minutes under Slot so far, but made a strong claim for more exposure with a winning goal against Lille in midweek.
In his pre-Ipswich press conference on Friday, Slot was asked what Elliott needed to do to earn more starts.
“Keep bringing performances in like he did and keep working as hard on the training ground as he’s doing as well,” was the Dutchman’s immediate answer.
As has often been the case when discussing Elliott’s role, Slot went on to recognise the competition he faces – not only in the short term with a five-strong bank of regular midfielders, but also in the future with “a few youngsters coming through.”
“I always say to the players, it’s not only about you, it’s also about the competition you are in,” the head coach continued.
“In his situation he’s in competition with five very good midfielders that you know – and there are a few youngsters coming through that are very talented as well, but they are not close to playing time yet.
“But he’s in competition with Wata, with Ryan, with Curtis, with Macca, with [Szoboszlai] and himself, so these are the midfielders we have at the moment.
“So he has to bring up performances like he does, then playing time will probably increase.”
One of those youngsters is almost certainly Trey Nyoni, 17, while there could be hopes for James McConnell, 20, to establish himself as a reliable option in the future.
But while Slot appears to have at least subconsciously discredited Tyler Morton, 22, who has expressed a willingness to leave in pursuit of regular first-team football this transfer window, there could be other youngsters he has an eye on.
Stefan Bajcetic, 20, is currently on loan at Salzburg and is expected to rejoin the first team in the summer, but further down the ranks are the likes of Kieran Morrison, 18, Kyle Kelly, 19, Alvin Ayman, 17, and Ollie O’Connor, 16.
Given Slot stressed that those unnamed youngsters are “not close to playing time,” it is purely speculative at this stage.
Nevertheless it is certainly interesting that the Liverpool boss already has an eye on the academy when considering future reinforcements for his midfield.
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