Jurgen Klopp says new signing Harvey Elliott, who made his debut against Napoli at Murrayfield yesterday, is a ‘fine’ footballer but has hinted he might need to head out on loan before he’s ready to play in the Reds’ first team.
Elliott was wanted by all the biggest clubs in Europe, but as a Reds fan, chose Anfield as his destination after leaving Fulham.
It took a while for the deal to be announced, but Elliott can now get on with training with his new teammates and getting to know the club where he will hopefully emerge as one of the top talents in the country.
Klopp, speaking to Sky Sports, said: “He is obviously a fine, fine footballer – that is the reason why we were really interested.
“I can say many positive things about the boy because we have signed him and he decided to join us when he could have gone pretty much anywhere.
“He wanted to be part of Liverpool because of his talent. Now that he is here, let’s work with him. He needs game time – we have to see where he will get that.“
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It certainly sounds like the option of a loan deal is being considered given Elliott is unlikely to be featuring week-in, week-out for the Reds’ first-team just now.
Whether a potential loan would be done this summer, or perhaps in January when he has played a few matches for the U23s and settled into his new surroundings, remains to be seen.
The Championship, perhaps at Derby County where Harry Wilson excelled, would be the most likely destination if he was to make a temporary switch.