Paul Robinson has claimed that Harvey Elliott is ‘a victim of circumstance’ after he was left out of Gareth Southgate’s senior England squad for the upcoming Nations League games against Italy and Germany.
The teenager has featured for Liverpool in all of their games so far this season and although Jurgen Klopp’s side haven’t quite been at their best, the former Fulham star has been one of the few positives at the beginning of the campaign.
Elliott is still waiting to earn his first senior England cap and has instead been selected for the Three Lions’ U21 set-up.
Former England number one Robinson believes the midfielder will have to wait until next year until he earns his first call up from Southgate.
“He has played in every game this season but his performances have been indifferent,” the 42-year-old told Football Insider. “You cannot say that he has been consistent.
“He is a great option for Gareth Southgate to have but I think it is a bit early for him.
“He is probably a victim of circumstance. There is a lot of players in that position.
“I think we will see Elliott come into the senior England setup next year after the World Cup.”
It wasn’t a huge surprise that our No. 19 wasn’t included in the England squad, but there had been some reports suggesting that he was being considered.
The Fulham Academy product certainly won’t be too downbeat over the decision and it will still be an honour for him to represent his country at U21 level once again.
Our midfield has struggled for large parts of the season and when Thiago Alcantara is absent we appear to struggle to control games.
To be fair to Elliott, however, despite his tender age he’s not scared to receive the ball in difficult positions on the pitch and always wants to make something happen.
He has just the one goal to his name this season but if he continues to work hard and performing how he has done for most of the campaign then there’s no reason why he can’t be a vitally important player for the club in the years to come.