Arne Slot has revealed how he held a one-to-one talk with Harvey Elliott before the FA Cup win over Accrington Stanley to explain his use on the right wing.
Elliott made only his second start of the season on Saturday as he replaced Mohamed Salah on the right flank for a 4-0 win over League Two opposition.
His only previous start under Slot had come in the Carabao Cup victory over Southampton, with injuries and competition for places making it difficult for him to break through.
There is also a sense the head coach does not yet fully trust Elliott in his favoured No. 10 role, though the 21-year-old “wants to get his chance” there.
Speaking ahead of the trip to Nottingham Forest on Tuesday, Slot said that he spoke with Elliott before the clash with Accrington Stanley to explain why he wasn’t being used in midfield.
“I asked Harvey to come into the room before we played that game, because I know Harvey wants to get his chance at the No. 10 position,” he told reporters.
“Because of the players we didn’t have available, I had to play him from the right. He did that really well.”
Wataru Endo is another senior player who has been starved of opportunities this season, with it now true that he has played more minutes in three games as a centre-back (229) than he has in 12 as a midfielder (204).
Unlike Elliott, Slot opted not to discuss Endo’s role against Accrington Stanley, crediting the 31-year-old’s professionalism.
“For Wata it’s the same, but I didn’t even invite him in, because I know – Harvey’s also a very good person – but I know what kind of person Wata is,” he continued.
“He’s just ‘wherever you play me, I will do my best – whenever you play me’.”
While this may be seen as a criticism of Elliott, it is more just a marker of the changing attitude of a player over time – Endo being 10 years his senior.
But Slot’s admission that his young midfielder is eager to get a run as a No. 10 – where he is up against Dominik Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones – is certainly timely given reports of transfer interest.
Dortmund and Brighton are among the clubs to have been linked with Elliott this month, seemingly encouraged by his lack of game time at Liverpool.
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