Harvey Elliott appears to be taking on a newly-found role within the Liverpool first-team squad, judging by one moment prior to kick-off in Wednesday night’s win over Leicester.
In a post-match piece for the Liverpool Echo, Paul Gorst noticed the 20-year-old approaching Ben Doak and giving the teenager a brief pep talk just before the match started, on what was the latter’s first senior start at Anfield.
The article outlined: “The midfielder, now 20, made a beeline for his less experienced colleague while the crowd were going through a rendition of You’ll Never Walk Alone to offer some last-minute morsels of advice to Doak.
“There was a cuff around the head, a hug and a few words that will no doubt have helped Doak ahead of one of the biggest nights of his fledgling career to date.
“Elliott has spoken lately of taking on more responsibility in what is now a younger, new-look squad and his gentle encouragement to Doak just before the game got going is evidence of the quiet way the midfielder is choosing to step up alongside his more established colleagues.”
Doak was making his first Anfield start – and only his second for Liverpool – last night (Transfermarkt), so even someone who looks as fearless and mature as he does for his age have surely appreciated the pre-game pep talk from Elliott.
It also speaks to the ex-Fulham midfielder’s evolving role within Jurgen Klopp’s squad that, despite still being a young player himself having only turned 20 in April, he’s now taken to imparting advice to less experienced teammates and helping them through games.
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The Reds’ number 19 is in the early stages of his own career but has already made more than a century of senior appearances at club level (Transfermarkt), including 73 for LFC during a period where they’ve had their strongest group of players since the 1980s.
Elliott’s manager will surely be delighted to see him maturing to such a degree and assuming greater responsibility in offering guidance to fledging talents like Doak. It’s a situation with which the 20-year-old could empathise from his own breakthrough at Liverpool in the not-too-distant past.