Liverpool midfielder Harvey Elliott has changed his squad number from 67 to 19 at Anfield, potentially signalling a more prominent role in the 2022/23 season.
Elliott signed for Jurgen Klopp’s side in 2019 after becoming the Premier League’s youngest-ever player for Fulham at just 16 years and 30 days old.
He featured several times in cup matches and in substitute appearances as The Reds lifted the Premier League title, including a starring role in the 5-5 draw against Arsenal in the Carabao Cup.
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A loan to Blackburn Rovers followed, in which he thoroughly impressed in his first full senior campaign - scoring seven times in 42 matches under Tony Mowbray at Ewood Park.
The 19-year-old midfielder broke through into the Reds first-team last season, before suffering an injury that would see him sidelined until February.
He returned in style, however, scoring his first and only Liverpool goal to date in the 3-1 win over Cardiff City.
A substitute appearance in the Carabao Cup final and an excellent performance away at Inter Milan in the UEFA Champions League were the highlights of a sadly limited season for Elliott, but many Reds fans are extremely excited to see him back in the lineup come the season’s opener.
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Speaking after Elliott’s strike against Cardiff, Jurgen Klopp hailed the youngsters' work ethic in returning to the first team.
“I’m conscious of overplaying the situation with Harvey Elliott, because it’s critically important now we all realise he will still need time and patience to fully reintegrate and get to the consistent levels we expect of him and he expects of himself."
"But you’d need a heart of stone not to be moved by what happened. What a moment."
“It was apparent after the game, when our players were showing their love and joy towards Harvey that there was a recurring theme: hard work pays off."
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"And what I loved about Harvey’s own comments post-match is that he was the first to recognise the hard work wasn’t only his.”
Topics: Harvey Elliott, Liverpool
Chris Stonadge