Liverpool players are no longer left to their own devices during the summer and all of the players are given fitness plans, before pre-season even begins.
Speaking with The Athletic about his pre pre-season work, Harvey Elliott said: “I’ve just got to prove myself to the manager and put myself in the best possible position to get minutes.
“I’m enjoying my football again and it’s my dream to be able to put on the shirt for this club.
“I did a bit more in terms of fitness work this summer to ensure I was in the best possible position coming back. I lost a fair bit of weight in the off-season. I had a target last season, which I reached, and I’ve done it again.”
It’s hard to imagine that any player within Jurgen Klopp’s squad has any weight to lose, given how hard they are all worked on a daily basis.
The 19-year-old will be fully aware that we are in the market for a midfielder next summer and so this will be an important season ahead, if he wants to stake his claim to a starting role in the team.
Our new No.19’s versatility will no doubt come in handy and he has twice been deployed as part of a front three in our first two pre-season matches but it looks like the boss sees him as a midfielder in the long-term.
Being a boyhood Red, with bags of ability and trust from the manager – will all mean that there is a clear pathway to a long Anfield career for the former Fulham youngster, if he wants to take it.