Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders has admitted that young winger Harvey Elliott has surprised him in training, stating that the teenager shows maturity beyond his years.
The youngster is regarded as one of the brightest prospects in England, and La Liga giants Real Madrid were said to be interested in him before the Reds snapped him up.
Liverpool are up against MK Dons tonight in the Carabao Cup, and if there was ever a time for Elliott to make a cameo it would be then.
The Reds are set to feature Rhian Brewster and Curtis Jones – so Elliott wouldn’t be surrounded by unfamiliar faces. “What a surprise he (Elliott) was when he came for the first sessions,” told reporters (via LFC TV).
“Some players, they play as if they are already say 28 or 29, he’s a player who sees so much around him before things happen. It’s not easy to step into our training because if you want to play high-intensity football, you have to train high-intensity football.
“It’s not easy to come in and then have control and find combinations etc. And he showed this from the first sessions. He is a talented boy. ‘I don’t want to put him under more pressure, but we’re really happy he is with us.”
It’s an interesting time for Lijnders to bring up Elliott – so I’d hazard a guess that the 16-year-old will be on the bench against MK Dons, and I won’t be surprised if he comes on for the last ten minutes or so.
Respectfully, a fixture against MK Dons is one of the more likely scenarios that would see the winger get some first team minutes this season. I really can’t see Klopp throwing him on against Everton in the Premier League.