Ian Wright has said that Liverpool ‘have a proper player on their hands’ in one youngster among Jurgen Klopp’s senior squad at Anfield.
The former Arsenal striker told Premier League Productions (4 December, 2:40 pm) that he’s ‘really excited’ by the enormous ‘potential’ of Harvey Elliott, who’s bounced back from dislocating his ankle two years ago to become a fixture within the first-team setup on Merseyside.
The attacking midfielder didn’t feature against his former club Fulham on Sunday but has already made 18 appearances this season, starting every Europa League game so far (Transfermarkt).
Wright said of the 20-year-old: “I like him. He is somebody that the potential he has. He obviously had that injury, but as a player, the way he sees the game, his passing, his mobility, the capability and, like he said, he has to score more goals.
“He again is somebody that, if he can get anywhere near his potential, then Liverpool have a proper player on their hands. I am really excited for him.”
It’s easy to forget how young Elliott still is, having already accrued 84 senior outings for the Reds (Transfermarkt). Indeed, had he not missed five months with that aforementioned ankle injury, he’d surely be a Liverpool centurion by now.
The heightened competition for midfield places has restricted the 20-year-old to just one Premier League start so far this term, but with two fixtures less than 72 hours apart later this week, the youngster could well be given the nod by Klopp in at least one of those.
His star quality was on show during England’s triumph at the European Under-21 Championship in the summer, while his last four caps at that level have seen him plunder five goals and seven assists (Transfermarkt).
Elliott is in the wonderfully rarefied position of already boasting plenty of senior experience while still having the bulk of his career ahead of him.
Even if he’s had to be content with minutes off the bench for most of this season so far, his time to establish himself as a regular in Klopp’s preferred XI should come.