Virgil Van Dijk has urged one of his Liverpool teammates to be ‘patient’ and not get ‘frustrated’ as he searches for a regular starting spot under Jurgen Klopp.
Harvey Elliott replaced the injured Trent Alexander-Arnold at half time against Burnley on Saturday and helped the Reds to all three points by setting up both of Liverpool’s goals in the second half.
The former Fulham man has started just 15 of his 32 appearances this term (across all competitions) but has impressed whenever called upon by our German tactician.
With injuries to both Dominik Szobsozlai and Thiago Alcantara our No.19 has a good chance to break into our starting XI in the coming weeks and our captain has urged his teammate to ‘keep going’.
“Harvey is so young,” van Dijk told Liverpool ECHO (via Rousing The Kop). “He goes through a lot of things personally. He would love to be playing week in week out. But obviously playing at the highest level, you also have to be patient and then grab your moments when you get them. He has to keep going. Don’t be frustrated that you don’t play as sometimes it is part of the business, but when you get your opportunities, you have to perform and that’s what he has done in this case.”
Elliott can operate as part of a midfield three or further upfield on the right flank when needed.
The England youth international has a great eye for a pass and you know that he’ll work his socks off whenever representing the Reds.
The 20-year-old only has one goal and three assists this term but he’ll be hoping to improve those numbers between now and the end of the season by forcing his way into the side from the start.
It’s hard for players to make impacts from the bench but that’s what the boyhood Red has done on a number of occasions during the current campaign.
Elliott has a bright future ahead of him at Anfield – guidance and advice from van Dijk will only make him a better player.
#Ep100 of The Empire of the Kop Podcast: EOTK Insider with Neil Jones🎙️