Kevin Campbell has tipped Harvey Elliott to shine for Liverpool in Thiago Alcantara’s absence as the Spaniard faces six weeks on the sidelines after sustaining a hamstring injury against Fulham.
The former Barcelona man limped off during the second half at Craven Cottage on Saturday and he will now miss a number of huge upcoming clashes against Manchester United, Everton and Chelsea.
Elliott was a second half substitute against his former side at the weekend and signed a new long-term deal at AXA Training Centre earlier today – Campbell believes now is the chance for the teenager to shine.
“You would like to think the door has opened for him now,” Campbell told Football Insider.
“All of the substitutes that came on at the weekend looked good for Liverpool. They all made a difference to the team at a difficult stage of the game. They helped Liverpool get a point.
“Any opportunity for Harvey Elliot to get in that side and do the business is great.
“The fact that Thiago is out gives other players a chance because he would most likely have been starting every Premier League match.
“Klopp may give Elliott a chance against Palace because he is creative like Thiago.
“There is other players there who will want a chance as well though. Whoever gets the opportunity will have to take it.”
Our No. 19 looked set to play a starring role last season before suffering a nasty ankle injury against Leeds United early on in the campaign.
That injury ruled him out for five months but he did make a goalscoring return against Cardiff in the FA Cup as we went onto win that trophy.
Klopp is clearly a huge fan of Elliott – he’s already made 22 senior appearances for the club and will now remain on Merseyside until 2027 following the signing of his new deal.
He offers another dimension when he plays in midfield but also has the ability to perform on either side of our front three if needed.
He’s technically gifted and can unlock defences in the blink of an eye with his outrageous passing ability.
We can’t wait to see him continue his development at the club and let’s hope he can perform well against Patrick Viera’s side on Monday!