Lee Carsley may have highlighted a transfer problem at Anfield (Image: Getty)
Liverpool could have a major transfer dilemma brewing in the shape of academy graduate Harvey Elliott.
The versatile midfielder has played just seven minutes of Premier League football so far this season, despite featuring heavily for his side in pre-season. Instead, Arne Slot has favoured Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister in midfield, with Ryan Gravenberch being deployed as a No. 6.
The drop in minutes won’t have gone unnoticed by Elliott given that he made 34 league appearances under Jurgen Klopp last season, albeit coming off of the bench on 23 occasions during that time.
The 21-year-old, valued at £29.5million on Transfermarkt, has shown his quality on a consistent basis since breaking into the Liverpool first-team in 2021 following a sensational loan spell with Blackburn Rovers.
However, the midfielder will be wary of his progress becoming halted by a lack of competitive opportunities going forward, especially as he is still without an England call-up to his name, which has been underlined more than ever recently.
Following the departure of Gareth Southgate, Lee Carsley was named the interim manager of the Three Lions and is keen to stake his claim as to why he should be the permanent boss over the coming matches.
Harvey Elliott has hardly featured for Liverpool so far this season (Image: Getty)
With so much at stake for Carsley, he has leaned on players who have shined for him at Under-21 level. Tino Livramento, Angel Gomes, Noni Madueke and Morgan Gibbs-White were all therefore called up to the senior squad, having thrived under his management previously.
But despite Carsley turning to his crop of familiar faces, there was still no room in his squad for Elliott – even after Cole Palmer, Phil Foden and Ollie Watkins withdrew from the squad due to injury/illness.
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Harvey Elliott must prove his worth to Arne Slot (Image: Getty)
The England squad announcement may have been an unwelcome wake-up call for Elliott and it would be no surprise if it set off alarm bells for the versatile forward given that he is showing no signs of being on the cusp of Slot’s plans.
The ex-Feyenoord boss has openly admitted that he is willing to allow young players to leave the club if they grow unhappy with a lack of opportunities at Anfield. But Elliott’s talent has shone through previously and the Dutchman will be keen to avoid a situation where the youngster wants to leave given that he could, ultimately, be a long-term Mohamed Salah successor further down the line.
