Liverpool captain says Harvey Elliott ‘on very different stage of his development’ to Curtis Jones and ‘has won the lottery’

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Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson has been discussing the development of Harvey Elliott and has lauded the youngster, while reminding him that there is plenty of hard work to be done.

In recent weeks, Curtis Jones has got himself first-team minutes – scoring against Aston Villa and putting in a strong hour v Burnley – but Elliott has remained on Jurgen Klopp’s bench.

Henderson thinks this is because Jones is slightly ahead in terms of his development, but that Elliott’s ‘talent is frightening’ – going on to discuss how working underneath the likes of James Milner and Adam Lallana will set him on the right path.

“Not long after Curt’s renewal came Harvey Elliott signing his first pro deal with the club. Again, all the boys were buzzing when that was announced,” Hendo told the official website. 

“Harvey is in a very different stage of his development to Curtis, because of his age, but nonetheless the same lessons apply. His talent is frightening. But again, ability gets you so far and then mentality and attitude have to match it.

“We’ve seen Harvey grow as a player and a person during this campaign and what excites me most of all is that there is still so much more room for development. He gets that as well. 

“You can see he has a hunger and thirst for learning from the coaches and from the other players.

“You will not meet a nicer, more grounded lad than Harvey off the pitch and he fits in perfectly to the culture we have in our dressing room. 

“And I think, without sounding immodest, the environment we have at Liverpool is perfect for him.

“I think we’ve shown in recent seasons that our dressing room has a ‘no excuses’ culture and I know from my own development as a player how important that is.

“Harvey has won the lottery being able to see first-hand what players such as Adam Lallana and James Milner put in away from the pitch, which has allowed them to have the amazing careers they have had.

“The other point to make, on Harvey in particular, is to back up something the gaffer said, which is about allowing him space and time to grow.”

We’d suggest Elliott maybe has the highest ceiling of any of our current crop of youngsters.

His technique and wand-like left-foot are God-given gifts, but it’s the attitude he shows from this point onwards that will define whether he realises his potential.

In our setup, he’d most naturally fit in on the right – although plays the game very differently to Mo Salah – the current incumbent of the right-wing.

Whether this will lead to Elliott moulding his style, or maybe Liverpool having a tactical or stylistic shift further down the line, remains to be seen.

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