England U21 boss praises Harvey Elliott for his ‘excellent attitude’ ahead of Monday’s UEFA Championship Qualifier

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England U21 manager Lee Carsley has explained that Harvey Elliott ‘loves playing for England’ and has an ‘excellent attitude’, but is remaining cautious over the Liverpool star.

The 19-year-old looked set for a starring role at the Reds at the beginning of the season but suffered a nasty ankle injury which kept him sidelined for over four months.

He did make a goalscoring return against Cardiff in the FA Cup back in February, but Carsley is ensuring he’s not ‘overextending’ the former Fulham youngster whilst on international duty.

“It’s brilliant having him back. We’ve spoken about having that connection and wanting players to come and play for England. We’ve got a care of duty to make sure he’s OK to play, which he is. He’s fully fit,” Carsley told the Mirror.

“He was asking: ‘Can I get on the bench, can I get some minutes!’ That’s always been the case with Harvey throughout the pathway, whether it be the 17s, the 19s or ourselves. He’s a player who loves playing for England, has played very well for England.

“He was outstanding at the last camp on and off the pitch. If you think about the journey that he’s been on this season, he’s had so many highs and lows. It would be good for him to finish on a positive note. He deserves that.

“He’s got an excellent attitude, works so hard and is a good guy. He has got a chance of playing. He’s trained for the last three days. He turned up at camp, tested positive with Covid, went back to Liverpool, got over Covid and joined straight back up with the squad.

“We have to make sure we don’t put him a position where we’re overextending him. He’s keen to play, he’s keen to get the minutes and we’re keen to have him. We’re looking forward to Harvey playing and being a big part of what we do.”

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He made 20 appearances for the Reds last term (across all competitions) and will be seeking more game time when the new campaign begins in August.

He’s a rather versatile figure when you consider the fact he can operate in a three-man midfield or on either flank of a three-man attack.

He has the ability to both score and create goals and will be excited at the fact ex-Fulham teammate Fabio Carvalho has followed him in moving to Anfield from Craven Cottage.

The future of the club is certainly looking bright and it’s great to hear a former Evertonian have so much praise for the talented Liverpool man.

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