Harvey Elliott took a humble approach when setting out his goals for the new season, after a “dream come true” with his first goal at Anfield against Blackpool on Saturday.
The 17-year-old turned in arguably his best performance for the Reds yet when he came off the bench to score one and assist another in the 7-2 thrashing of Blackpool.
It took Elliott just eight minutes to find the back of the net, coming after some bright work involving James Milner and Divock Origi, and while it came in a friendly, the delight in his celebration was palpable.
As a lifelong Liverpool supporter, it was a big moment for Elliott, and speaking to LFCTV after the game, the winger savoured a “dream come true.”
“It was great to score for my boyhood club,” he reflected.
“It’s been a dream ever since I was a little boy. It’s a dream a come true.
“I just need to keep going and keep putting in the performances like we did in the second half, hopefully many more opportunities will come.”
The way in which Elliott switched so quickly from relishing his moment to concentrating on the next step is an encouraging sign, as he is aware there is a long way to go yet.
It could be that the teenager is featured more heavily in 2020/21, though competition from the likes of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane ensures it will be a difficult task to break into the side.
That may be informing his targets for the new campaign, with Elliott simply looking to learn and take his chances when they are given to him.
“My main goal is to get in the team, get a few appearances here and there,” he said.
“Obviously, as you can see from today, it’s a very hard team to get into, there’s a lot of world-class players here.
“But even just the experiences around, obviously not being involved but to train with these guys every day, to be in and around the coaching staff every day, it’s just a dream come true.
“So any opportunity I get, I’m very grateful for, and hopefully I can just prove to the gaffer that I can live up to the standards really.”
Elliott also paid tribute to Neil Critchley, who is now Blackpool manager but played a big role in his progress in his first months at Liverpool.
And he praised the work of the staff still around him at Liverpool, insisting they have ensured the squad are in the “best possible position” to retain the Premier League title.
“The way people have gone about this pre-season, all the staff at LFC have made it the best possible pre-season for us,” he said.
“They gave us every opportunity possible, for example sorting out the Austria trip last-minute.
“And I think the way they’ve handled the sessions and what we do in between sessions, they’ve put us in the best possible position to go and hopefully win the title again.”
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